Research
Findings that Have Us Talking
Beyond Google
The omnipotence of Google search may be overrated. Especially when it comes to understanding how college students conduct research for course assignments.
In our study at a small college, we found a majority of students used a hybrid approach to academic research. Most undergraduates leveraged both online and offline sources.
In fact, we found:
- Only about one in 10 students in our survey reported using to Yahoo! or Google first when conducting research.
- Only two in 10 students in our survey used search engines as a second step.
- Students used the library and considered library resources helpful - both the reference librarians and databases from the library Web site.
- Over half of the students (60%) in our sample were overwhelmed by the plethora of available resources, including many from the Web.
Result Pages Matter
Designing a successful strategy for search means designing usable search result pages, too.
In a recent usability study we conducted on a search directory Web site, participants easily conducted a search we requested, retrieving a bevy of useful results.
The problem? In our study, 86 percent of the participants encountered problems when they tried to use result pages. We found several very fixable usability problems that affect many result pages we've seen elsewhere, too.
Here are three pointers for designing result pages:
- Make sure there is enough "breathing room" (white space) between each result. That way, the entire page can be easily scanned, making each result distinguishable from the next one.
- We recommend using icons (at the bottom of each result) for functional amenities. By this, we mean icons for "emailing a result" and "viewing more information," for instance. Icons work as powerful visual cues that are quickly processed. The icons can also help break up one result from the next.
- Bolded search terms work. Participants from our latest study were grateful that our client's site had done this - bold terms provide quick (and highly visible) feedback, reminding users what they have originally searched.
How can practitioners make their data more meaningful to clients?
Read our article in "Boxes and Arrows."
If Google isn't the first stop when college students are carrying out academic research, then what is?