Improving the User Experience : An Interface for all Janet Broome

February 2009

Improving the User Experience : An Interface for all

Introduction The challenges of designing a user interface for

all Persona of an Advanced User Persona of a “Novice” User OvidSP User Interface Features of the Interface Getting the most out of searching

Challenges

Users have different expectations from searching Detailed information Brief information “quick and dirty” searching Common goal of reliable, accurate, relevant and

evidence based results

Prospecting is not what it used to be !

Persona

Microsoft and other software houses have developed techniques where they identify the persona of a user

This is done through a process called “conceptual” enquiry where different types of users are interviewed regarding their search and information needs

The Advanced User

Characteristics and Requirements of an Advanced User

Researcher Detailed Information Has advanced information literacy skills Understands “boolean logic” and bibliographic

terminology Structured Queries Save and Manipulate Search Results Share Results with others

Requirements of an Advanced User

Requirement to be constantly kept informed in developments within their subject area

– RSS Feeds– Auto Alerts– E-mail Alerts

Advanced Users – Time Constraints Different

An Advanced User has time to formulate search enquiries and manipulate them

Systematic Reviews – often 300

Novice User

Characteristics of a “Novice” User

Does not have information literacy skills

Has a busy lifestyle – balancing work/study and life balance

Has information needs

Requirements of a Novice User

Requires a simple interface “google” like but with reliable search results Precision results with minimum effort Relevant Search Results – does not require

everything published but what is relevant Questions – rather than boolean Search for everything in one place

OvidSP a User Interface that does not discriminate

OvidSP is designed to meet the requirements of the “advanced” and “novice” user

OvidSP a User Interface that does not discriminate

OvidSP is designed to meet the requirements of the “advanced” and “novice” user

Features of OvidSP for the Advanced User

Advanced User Features – Multi-Field Search

Advance User Features – Results Manager

Features of OvidSP for the Advanced User

Advanced User Features of Journals

Publish ahead of print RSS Feeds for Electronic Tables of Content

RSS Features within Journals

Novice User Features – Support of NLP

Clustered Search Results – Faceted Searching

OvidSP

We believe we have developed an interface for all that does not discriminate between level of user

Let us take a closer look

Practical demonstration

Questions

Questions ?