Search results have evolved from a portal to a destination. Deirdre will talk about how user expectations are formed on the open web, how students make decisions about library resources, and why we all need to think about search results as one of the most important experiences for our users.

1. SEARCH
RESULTS
ARE THE
NEW BLACK
How Students Make
Decisions
Deirdre
Costello
PRINCIPAL UX
RESEARCHER
dcostello@ebsco.com @deirdre_lyon

2. OUR PROJECTS
SECONDARY
RESEARCH
Literature review of
elementary, middle,
high school and
college/grad school
search habits.
VIDEO DIARY
STUDY
High school
students
demonstrating their
research habits.
CONTEXTUAL
INQUIRY
Participant-driven
sessions with high
school, college and
graduate students.
PARTICIPATORY
DESIGN
College students
working in teams to
design their ideal
search experience
MULTI-METHOD
ITERATIVE
Wireframe feedback
& prototype testing
for important
aspects of the
search experience.

3. CONTEXTUAL
INQUIRY
Lets you see the tools &
services students are using to
do research

4. AND HOW THEY FIT INTO THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

5. Our Biggest Learning: Motivation
External Social
Support
Mentorship Finding
Their
Subject
Internal

6. OTHER INFLUENCES

7. COMPETING
PRIORITIES

8. “EYE BYTE
CULTURE”
-Dr. Maryanne Wolfe, Tufts

9. SKIMMING
&
SCANNING

10. COMPETING
PRIORITIESFEELINGS

11. HOW ARE STUDENTS
INTERACTING WITH

12. I TRUST
IT.

13. I GET IT.

14. I’M THE
JUDGE.

15. TRUSTING
COMPETENTCONFIDENT
ON
GOOGLE,
STUDENTS
FEEL:

16. 1. SCANNING FOR SEARCH TERMS

17. 2. LEARNING ABOUT TOPIC

18. PIVOT TO LIBRARY

22. 1. SAME SEARCH

23. 2. SCANNING FOR SEARCH TERMS

24. 3. SCANNING FOR SECONDARY TERMS

25. SNIPPETS ARE HARD TO INTERPRET

26. SOURCE INFO DOESN’T PROVIDE CLUES

27. FILTERS MIGHT HELP…
#FOMO

28. Cons Pros
Credible
Teacher-
Approved
Friends Use
It
Anxiety
Clues aren’t
right
Too specific
SEARCH
RESULTS ARE
TOUGH.

29. TITLE INCLUDES SEARCH TERM

30. DESCRIPTION INCLUDES SECONDARY
TERMS

31. ABSTRACT SIGNALS RELEVANCY

32. INGESTED
INTO THEIR
ECOSYSTEM

33. WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?

34. USE CONCEPTS FROM THE OPEN WEB

35. BUILD BASED ON NEED

36. TAKEAWAYS
Google is hugely influential –
it’s a place where students
feel confident.
The way we read online is
changing.
Search results have evolved
from a portal to a destination.
Students are porting
expectations from the open
web…
But they don’t always have
the clues they need to make
decisions.
Motivation & emotion are
huge factors in the research
process.

37. Interested? Contact
research@ebsco.com!
UP NEXT:
FACULTY
CONTEXTUAL
INQUIRY

38. dcostello@ebsco.com
@deirdre_lyon
BE IN
TOUCH!