npr.org search analysis 11/1/14 Justin Bend IDIA 630: Information Architecture FALL 2014

2 Content Segmentation Topics News Arts & life Music Programs Morning Edition Fresh Air Etc… Majority of content is complimentary, and secondary, to on-air broadcast content

observations 3 HOME HOME > MUSIC HOME > PROGRAMS > FRESH AIR HOME > MUSIC > FIRST LISTEN CURRENT No “search” or “go” button requiring keyboard ‘enter/return’ to initiate query Full search text field only displayed on homepage Inconsistent UI treatment Search “hiding” No stemming or query suggestion ENHANCEMENT Provide a button for conventional form entry web users Consistency with full text field Dynamic term suggestions

results 4 SEARCH TERM: direct democracy CURRENT Vertical result set Sorted by “best match” by default Results >10 require pagination (recall always yields >10) 10 results per page (user cannot augment result count per page) Total result count displayed ENHANCEMENT Highlight search terms in query results Where applicable, provide audio snippet of underlying content NPR’s enterprise implementation of Google’s Custom Search Engine provides maximum recall and rapid response, at the expense of precision.

results (…continued) 5 SEARCH TERM: direct democracy ENHANCEMENT Allow users to augment the result count display per page Aligning with Program UI aesthetic, use consistent color scheme to differentiate content belonging to certain programs All Things Considered Morning Edition Etc… Once query selection is made, achieve effective wayfinding with breadcrumb navigation on each detail page Document Surrogates: Title Program name Summary Image (optional) Publication Date Author

filters 6 ENHANCEMENT Assess NPR search logs to glean contemporary utilization Assumed to be low Majority outcome: no results Dynamically augment the result set with each filter application Reimagine precision by meeting user where their query rely began: “When/Where Did You Hear This?” CURRENT “heard on air”: TRUE or FALSE (boolean) publication date ranges programs User must reinitiate query but ‘enter/return’ from the keyboard, or by clicking the magnifying glass icon button Results not dynamically reactive to filter application

misspelling, etc. = no results 7 ENHANCEMENT Best match should be attempted for terms as-typed, with term suggestion provided to user for query reformation Instruction should be offered to achieve better results At minimum, no result set could feature contemporary featured content links to avoid the “dead end” CURRENT No spelling suggestions Immediate authority file synonym ring result return—not transparent to user Likely outcome of misspelling: no results “There were no documents that matched your search request.”

mobile 8 Uniform functionality from desktop browser-based search user interface Limited result snippet display Title Program Name Uniform usability enhancement recommendations apply

notes 1. Budiu, Raluca. “Search Is Not Enough: Synergy Between Navigation and Search.” articles/search-not-enough/ NN/g Nielsen Norman Group: Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting. 7 Sept Web. 15 Oct Google. Google Custom Search Engine, Web. October Hearst, Marti. Search User Interfaces. Cambridge University Press, E- Book. 4. Morville, Peter and Callender, Jeffery. Search Patterns. O’Reilly Media, Inc., Print. 5. Morville, Peter and Rosenfeld, Louis. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. O’Reilly & Associates, Inc., Print. 6. NPR. National Public Radio, Web. October Sherwin, Katie. “The Magnifying-Glass Icon in Search Design: Pros and Cons.” magnifying-glass-icon/ NN/g Nielsen Norman Group: Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting. 23 Feb Web. 15 Oct Wodtke, Christina and Govella, Austin. Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web. New Riders, Print. 9

questions? (thank you)