Design user-centered vocabulary to improve search interfaces and support effective information retrieval.
Current search systems need to incorporate user intent, related terms, and reveal conceptual relationships for better search experience.
Deep dives
Designing User-Centered Vocabulary for Information System Interfaces
Dr. Marcia J. Bates discusses the importance of designing user-centered vocabulary for information system interfaces to support effective search. She emphasizes the need to create search interfaces that present clusters of related terms, allowing users to easily navigate and find more relevant information. Dr. Bates highlights the limitations of current search systems, such as Google, which primarily focus on keyword matching without taking into account user intent or alternative search terms. She suggests that by incorporating user-centered vocabulary and relatedness, search systems can greatly improve the search experience.
The Continuing Need for Search Support and Improved Interfaces
Dr. Bates debunks the notion that search is a solved problem, asserting that there is still much work to be done in supporting users during their search process. She criticizes current within-website search systems for being simplistic and not user-friendly, often failing to provide relevant results. Dr. Bates argues for the creation of a centralized website that collects and shares various vocabularies, classification schemes, and thesauri to aid searchers in finding information more efficiently. She emphasizes the need for search interfaces that reveal the conceptual landscape and relationships between terms to facilitate better information retrieval.
Developing Information Seeking Literacy for Better Searching
Dr. Bates encourages individuals to cultivate information seeking literacy by being aware of their search strategies and exploring alternative search methods. She suggests that people should recognize when they are searching for information while problem-solving and consider if there are better sources or approaches available. Dr. Bates highlights the importance of evaluating the credibility of information sources, such as government websites, and encourages users to be critical of the information they encounter online. She highlights the need for better education and resources that teach effective search strategies, emphasizing the role of librarians and expert guidance in improving information-seeking skills.
Marcia Bates is Professor Emerita in UCLA’s Department of Information Studies. Over the course of a long career in both consulting and academia, Dr. Bates produced seminal work in user-centered information system design. Her paper on “berrypicking” as a user search strategy has been widely cited and is considered a foundational text in the field. In this conversation, we discuss search systems.
