Searching for X: Search Interface Usability

Searching for X: Search Interface Usability

Lynn Leitte User Experience Designer / Information

Architect

J. Boye ConferencePhiladelphia, PA May 3-5,

2011

Agenda

• Introduction• Basic Search Behaviors• Information Need• What does this mean for your UI?• Case Study: Gerson Lehrman Group• Q&A

Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011

Search Behavior

Basic Search Behavior• Cognitive Model • Standard Model • Berry Picking

• aka Dynamic Model

• Pearl Growing • Anchoring Bias

• aka Thrashing

• Pogo Sticking• Principle of Least Effort


Information Need

Information Need

"An information need is a recognition that your knowledge is inadequate to satisfy a goal that you have."

"Information seeking is a conscious effort to acquire information in response to a need or gap in your knowledge.”

Donald O. Case Looking for Information, 2002


Information NeedAn individual is searching for

something for a reason

• What are they looking for• Why are they looking for it• What do they expect to do with it once

they find it?


Information NeedThat reason and

their understanding shapes

• Why they have chosen your site?• What search terms they will use?• The kind of data expected to be

returned in the results• The features they expect to accompany

the search and other related task flows


Information Need Examples

I need a read on Motorola Android development because I am considering whether to invest in an open source mobile app company.

« Motorola Android development » and

« telecommunications product manager »

I need to know how common are oil pan failures on Honda cars approximately 10 years old because I am in disupute with the service department .

« Honda service 10901 » and « oil pan stripped threads »Lynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011

What does this mean for your UI?

Interactions should support • Tasks specific to your user• Learning about your data• Alternate views• Disambiguation• Recognition vs. Recall• Search & browse working together


User Research Is Needed

• Helps you understand • Context• Offline drivers• Expectations• Model of typical information need for

your users and your data


Can search logs help you?Yes and No…some needs are easier to extrapolate than others from the keywords

• « Honda service 10901 »• « oil pan stripped threads »• « Motorola Android development »•« telecommunications product manager »


Search AlgorithmsAccuracy

• Stemming, • Term adjacency• Entity extraction • Balance recall & precision

Use available data • Metadata and other structured data fields• Full text• Abstracts

Concept matches• « alternative fuel » and « wind energy »


Case Study:

Gerson Lerhman Group

What’s Gerson Lerhman Group

• Service provider to investment firms• B2B• « Expert Network »• Confidentiality and SEC Compliance• « white glove service »


GLG RMP Site

• Client Site • 3 year old platform for self-service• Low useage• Low conversion• Best use was as sales tool• Search was considered core, but

lack luster


GLG Search Results

Before


User Research @ GLG

• Contextual inquiry with US clients• Search log analysis• Metrics analysis (with caveats)


Research Showed…• Drivers varied greatly

• How much industry knowledge• Where in their project pipeline• Need for a specialist or generalist

• Search results were considered • uneven at best • off the mark at worst


Research Showed…cont.

• Facet useage at about 10%• «show similar » feature was not

used • Profile Questions and Biography

were tied as the most important and convincing piece of information

• Employment history also important


Clients found most useful:

– Q&A – Current & Former employer– CM biography (via click through on name)

“First thing I do is go to the Q&A. Sometimes then I go to the bio to see if I’m interested.”

“I look at Q&A responses to the questions usually. I get a good sense if he’s right for who I am looking for.”

“I’ll do like this [roll over to open the bio snippet] and read the bio. Definitely helpful.”



Clients did not use as first cut criteria:

– Practice Area– Geographic location text (not facet)– Council Programs flag or status– Project history– Services offered

“I never do anything other than calls. Written reports – I understand what it’s there for, but I don’t use it.”

The number of projects…“not really, although if he is doing mostly consulting and not spending enough time in the space, it could be a red flag.”



GLG Search UI changes

« Streamlined » and « fattened »•Removed some data points•Increased biography•Added Q&A•Changed the « snippeting »•Made call to action buttons smaller


GLG Search UI changesGulf between design feedback and user research findings

Design•Even, regular layout•Streamlined•Light

Research•Blocky, irregular•Overweight•Information dense


GLG Search Results

Layout prefered by Design & Product


GLG Search Results

Layout prefered by Users


GLG Search Results

After


GLG Search Results

After


GLG Search Results

Later roll out changed the calls to action and added list functionality


Success of New Search Results• Immediate + 17% conversion from search• Immediate + ~15% conversion from profile

(product) page• Month over month conversion increase

after 4 months was +17%• Client satisfaction went up• Customer support group asked for similar

search results in their app


Thank You!

Time for Q&A

[email protected]

LinkedIn » Lynn Leitte

Search Patterns by Peter Morville &

Jeffery Callendar

Search ResourcesSearch User Interfaces by Marti A. Hearst

Information-Seeking Behavior in the Digital Age: A Multi-disciplinary Study of Academic Researchers by Xuemei Ge

Information Seeking Behavior in New Searching Environments by Colleen Cool, Soyeon Park, Nicholas Belkin, Jurgen Koenemann and Kwong Bor NgLynn Leitte, User Experience Designer/Information Architect J. Boye Conference , Philadelphia, PA May 3-5, 2011

Technology

Searching for X: Search Interface Usability