[finders] Jenifer Tidwell: Interview

[finders at findability.org]

February 25, 2008: Jenifer Tidwell: Interview

http://www.findability.org/archives/000198.php

My research for Search Patterns will include a series of interviews, and
I'll blog the highlights. My first is with Jenifer Tidwell, a pioneering
curator of interaction and interface design patterns and the author of
Designing Interfaces.

Jenifer is currently consulting with Endeca on development of a pattern
library for guided navigation, and she's been actively collecting
interesting (good and bad) examples of search interfaces. Here are a few:

    * WebMD
    * eToys
    * Anthropologie
    * Artist Rising
    * Circuit City
    * Marriott
    * CarMax

She also passed along a link (from Will Evans) to Technology Review's
special report on Next-Generation Search (free registration required) where
I found Midomi, a singing search application that lets you find music with
your voice.

Jenifer and I then discussed the need to identify a richer set of search
design and behavior patterns (beyond Faceted Navigation and Best Bets) and
the importance of illustrating the combinatorial complexity of search system
design (e.g., to support user interactions that combine multiple patterns).

In short, a great first interview. Thanks Jenifer!

Strange Connections

* Thanks for all the suggested search patterns, examples, ideas, and
resources (e.g., Liz Danzico's search interface types). I'm adding to the
search pattern library as time allows. Please keep 'em coming!