[finders] Expanding Results

[finders at findability.org]

July 11, 2008: Expanding Results

http://www.findability.org/archives/000214.php

There was a good thread on the IAI Members List recently about expanding
results during faceted search. For those not on the list, here are a few
highlights:

Q. I'm restructuring the faceted search sidebar on an e-commerce search
results page. What's your opinion about the user being able to expand
results within a given search term, as well as narrow them?

A1. I do think it's worth enabling users to expand as well as narrow. NCSU's
stacking breadcrumbs are an excellent way to show context and support
relaxing one or more criteria. When I'm using Amazon, I often begin with a
query (e.g., hitch rack), then navigate the category structure (Sports &
Outdoors > Car Sports Racks > Bike Racks), and then wish I could remove my
original query term (so I can see all items in the category, not just hitch
racks), but with Amazon, I can't do that easily.

A2. In some usability studies we've done (at NCSU Libraries) we found that
without prior training, a small percentage of users take advantage of this
de-selection functionality. Most folks seem to ignore it. For those that
"get it" it can be quite a handy tool for managing a large result set as it
allows the user to expand and contract with minimal interaction...The larger
the catalog, the more I think facet management tools (like de-selection
buttons) add value.

For more, here's the thread. Not a member? Time to sign up!

Strange Connections

* I'm now an official UX Pioneer. To learn how my parents' laughter drove me
into a career in information architecture, read my story.

* Tim Spalding, founder of LibraryThing, intends to replace the Dewey
Decimal System with the Open Shelves Classification. Go Tim!