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Free-Range Finding: Research for Real People
PSP Seminar Series: Association of American PublishersKnowing and Understanding the UserSeptember 10, 2015
Kate Lawrence, VP User ResearchEBSCO Information Services @bykatelawrence
Free-Range
Finding
Studying people outside the “cage”
of a single interface or product. Zoom out.
Then stay there long enough to learn people’s stories.
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Go outside.Leave the building.
Go to your users.See their world.
Why Ethnography?
Studying people in their environment means studying people in their natural, comfortable state. You are also learning about the setting in which they do whatever it is you are curious about.
Why ethnography vs. usability testing
Ethnography is most effective for a specific market or a population: “We want to learn more about how [who] approaches/thinks about [what big thing].
“But what if I don’t hear about [our product/company/big thing]?” – the panicked Product Manager
The EBSCO Sample: 22 Students
One question, diverse stories. But clear themes emerged.
Three major themes
Presearch & Research
The New Black
Efficiency-Seeking
Presearch & ResearchPresearch* is the pre-work. It’s the stretch before the
run, the warm-up before the debate, the practice before the game.
The work before “it counts”.
*Identified by Dr. Alison Head & Project Information Literacy Study, 2013
Worry, anxiety
Presearch:Google
Presearch:Wikipedia
Then, “Serious Research”
“Googlepedia”
Presearch & Research• Research is within the “vault” of the
library. • Research is serious. Now, it counts.• Increase in anxiety with research phase,
more than for presearch.• “Renter” not “Buyer” mentality.
On Research: It is Library-Ese?
Library-Ese Study, EBSCO 2015, Lead researcher: Khalilah Gambrell
Well-Understood Terms Less-Understood Terms
Interlibrary LoanPublication Type
AbstractPDF Full Text
Peer ReviewedPrimary Source
BooleanCatalog
HTML Full TextePub
eBook Full TextDatabase
Trade Publications
Search Results is the New Basic• Once a pass-through to the detailed record,
students are now using search results as a point of triage.
• Opening new browser tabs for possibilities. • From finding sources, to weeding & narrowing• Laptop stays open for the duration.• Disconnect between permalink use and copy
& paste ethnographic observations.
M a y 2 , 2 0 2 3
TWO COLUMNS OF BULLETS Option 1 is quite nice, actually Choice number 2 is also quite
good, reliable option Opportunity number 3 is even
better than the first two And then there’s option number
4 which is, in our opinion, the best option of all
Still, there is number 5, which isn’t half bad if you as anyone
T H E D A I L Y S P E C I A L P R E S E N T A T I O N T E M P L A T E 1 2
Option 1 is quite nice, actually Choice number 2 is also quite
good, reliable option Decision number 3 is even better
than the first two And then there’s option number
4 which is, in our opinion, the best option of all
Still, there is number 5, which isn’t half bad if you as anyone
Why Search Results
Is “The New Black”
Binary decision-making mode: yes/no, stay/go
Emotions play a critical role. Do I see myself here?
Hunters & gatherers – adding worthy items to their running word document (shopping cart!)
Everything centers around search results. The challenge? Removing and streamlining, not adding to it
Once a technical concern, “page load” is now a concern about cognitive load.
Efficiency-Seeking
• Google, Amazon, Netflix – defining experiences.
• “They taught me to scan in my SAT prep class.”
• Timeline: Lots of “day 18 guys” – discrepancy between in-person sessions and surveys (reporting your best self?)
• ROI ongoing (daily) calculation because of significant workload (personal & work).
M a y 2 , 2 0 2 3 T H E D A I L Y S P E C I A L P R E S E N T A T I O N T E M P L A T E 1 4
A COMPARISON PAGE ONE SET OF JUICY DEALSHere’s a whole mess of text to show you just how this page can fill up with interesting content that tells a compelling story with words and a single image. You can just write to your heart’s content and fill this space with lots of ideas, thoughts, stories or even random dreams you have collected over the years. You could even use this space to talk about the image you have placed just to the right of this second block of text. Don’t be shy – people are curious and not nearly as mean spirited as you could possibly imagine. Just tell it like it is and all will listen without judgment. Go on… we’re waiting for you to open up and just tell us!
A SECOND SET OF JUICY DEALSDon’t be shy – people are curious and not nearly as mean spirited as you could possibly imagine. Just tell it like it is and all will listen without judgment. Go on… we’re waiting for you to open up and just tell us! Here’s a whole mess of text to show you just how this page can fill up with interesting content that tells a compelling story with words and a single image. You can just write to your heart’s content and fill this space with lots of ideas, thoughts, stories or even random dreams you have collected over the years. You could even use this space to talk about the image you have placed just to the right of this second block of text.
The Future: Organic Discovery
Jay Bellew, EBSCO, 2015
