A collaborative research project by Semantico and the University of Sussex Library looking at academic content search and discovery behaviour. Presented at UKSG16
Automating Google Workspace (GWS) & more with Apps Script
Defining User Behaviour in Search and Discovery
1. Search and discovery: defining user behaviour
Improving the Library Search interface
Suzanne Tatham Andrea Fallas
2. Aims
Understand more about how people
search for and discover information.
Identify patterns of behaviour to help
paint a picture of library users.
Generate data to help us improve the
experience of carrying out common
tasks around library search &
discovery.
Use lean methods to keep costs
minimal.
11. Search results
“I don’t know why I don’t use Library
Search for articles … I think it stresses
me out”
– Maria, 3rd yr UG
https://youtu.be/jv5KLSIQ7Z0
12.
13. Item details
“There’s so much white space, you
think there’s an error, like it hasn’t
loaded properly.”
– Sharon, Lecturer
https://youtu.be/L43iy24qcDg
14. Facets
Left-hand facets are underused
Some use of ‘Item type’ and ‘Author’
‘Books’ selected most often
– Max, 3rd yr UG
Facet use = 5% of all search sessions
15. Filters
“This is the thing that annoys me …
there’s more than one entry for the
author”
– Felippe, Doctoral researcher
16. Icons & images
“It doesn’t make it clear from the
search whether it’s a review … I find
that quite frustrating”
– Elisa, Postgraduate student
https://youtu.be/up5rOU97dTA
26. Visual clutter
“There’s so much information on this
page. Being from a fast-food
generation … you expect everything to
be spoon-fed to you”
– Hannah, 2nd yr UG
28. Sign-in
“You’re usually signed in because you
have to be signed in to perform a
search – don’t you? I don’t know,
maybe you don’t.”
– Lenart, 3rd yr UG
“I can’t remember what I do to sign in”
– Hannah, 2nd yr UG
“I always forget to sign in”
– Tom, 1st yr UG
43. What did we learn?
Keep it simple
Imagery matters
Most used functionality → prime
position
Underused functionality → hidden or
removed
Don’t always replicate existing systems
Get it right for the novice = get it right
for the researcher