Academic Search Engine Visualization Prototype
View the Prototype
Watch the Screencast
Academic search engines have different needs and jobs-to-be-done than they typical online search engine. For instance, the original insight that launched the Google search engine and propelled it to success was twofold: on the data side of the equation, the algorithm sorted through and analyzed the links between pages rather than relying primarily on keywords which could be easily manipulated by SEO companires; on the user-facing side of the equation, the search results were presented in a clean and simple list that focused on quickly getting the user to their intended destination (this might not sound innovative, but users today should be reminded that search engines like Yahoo! and AltaVista tried to keep users within their web properties as much as possible, rather than directing them as quickly as possible to the right website).
An academic researcher, however, would also benefit from being able to better and more quickly visualize the citation links between articles, books, and other sources. While perhaps even a majority of academic researchers are looking for a specific article, a large percentage of users (undergraduate students, for instance) might be seeking not just one source, but a better understanding of the many different sources that inform their area of research. Read more…
Philosophy of Design
Note: Dear readers, take this post with a grain of salt. It was written before I even was a student at the University of Michigan School of Information. Heady times indeed…
“Design is how it works,” say Steve Jobs, differentiating design from the veneer of decoration. But what does it really mean? It means primarily that design is a solution to problem. But secondarily it also means that form does not follow function, nor vice-versa: form and function are mutually enabling.
An example: the iPod click wheel.
A circle enables functionality that is not available to other forms, such as a triangle or a square. With a click wheel, the user scrolls smoothly through their library of songs by gliding their thumb around the circle. The software furthers enhances the experience by accelerating the speed of the scrolling according to the speed of the circling gesture. Thus an excellent design provides an elegant and delightful solution to a problem (scrolling through a music library on a tiny screen).
Bad design offers a solution to a non-existent problem, or it offers a poor or complicated solution to a real problem. Read more…