[Sigia-l] Sketchy Information

[Richard Law]

Hi All,

I think it's interesting how many search engines have tried to go with  
some sort of graphical approach to displaying their search results  
other than just text with hyperlinks. It's also interesting how none of  
these visual display models are really popular (IMHO) or that  
effective. I've tried many of them and always return to Google as my  
standard search engine.

I believe one of the reasons Google is so effective is that the search  
results page is very straight forward and easy to understand as just  
plain text. There's no extra cognitive load placed on the user to try  
and understand how all the items relate to one another or how to  
interpret the information or navigate the content. Google's results  
page uses standard Web metaphors (e.g., simple heirarchy, hyperlinks,  
etc.), which are immediately recognizable to most users. These are  
standard conventions used on the Internet and we all know what they  
mean and how to use them to continue on with our search for relevant  
information.

I attended a BayCHI presentation last year where the founders of Google  
talked about their approach to solving problems. In a nut shell, they  
look at a problem and try to decide the simplest and most  
straightforward method for reaching a solution and then refine from  
there. One of the founders mentioned that he thought so many people in  
technology were seduced by solutions in search of a problem.

With all this said, I don't mean to imply search results can't be  
improved upon. However, I wonder if all the different search display  
methods that seem so "cool" or "interesting" on the surface are just a  
solution in search of a problem.

On a slight tangent, here's a look a couple ideas for navigating  
information. The first half of this video shows some interesting ideas  
on navigating down within a hierarchy of information. I thought it was  
interesting that they imply the user would still "point-and-click" to  
select information (like playing PONG!) verses using the keyboard to  
navigate the same information.  Keep in mind, this is a reel for a  
design firm that demonstrates their animation capabilities (a solution  
in search of a problem), but it has some interesting ideas that need  
refinement.
http://66.216.122.95/_content/_reel/_movies/ispec.htm
(You'll need the QuickTime plug-in for your browser)

Cheers!

*****
Richard


On Mar 20, 2004, at 10:02 AM, Boniface Lau wrote:

>
> Sketchy Information: Will graphical search interfaces make a picture
> worth a thousand links
>
> http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/print_version/ 
> wo_sherman031904.
> asp
>
> SI> Rather than deliver search results as a long roster of links,
> SI> graphical searches show how different categories and types of
> SI> information relate to each other. The hard part is finding a way
> SI> of presenting the information without requiring the user to get a
> SI> degree in how to use the interface.
>
> [...]
>
> SI> But visualization front ends are not magic solutions for those who
> SI> want to find something; a combination of text and Boolean commands
> SI> can quickly resolve a complex search. Consider, for instance, a
> SI> wine shopper searching for an Australian merlot with a hint of oak
> SI> for $7.99. Using visualization would likely take multiple steps to
> SI> move through the screens of information. And finding the best
> SI> combination of representation and data organization can be tough.
>
>
> Boniface
>
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