Next generation catalogs for libraries <NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu> writes:
>I'm not sure that I would agree that it is great thing that the result is a subject browse screen. A fairly basic principle of web usability design is to design the user interface so that it behaves per the user's expectations. Those expectations
>are set by the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of web search interfaces that the user used before they stumbled upon your (or my) library system. The convention for a search results screen is that the user will see a list of "hits" that match the
>search. I'm not making a value judgment that that is inherently *better* (although I happen to think it is) -- I'm making the point that from a usability perspective, having a search interface behave intuitively (i.e. like most all of the other
>search interfaces used by the user) is pretty paramount.
In our recent redesign of our Voyager OPAC, we decided to do exactly as Michael suggests -- we moved from a default that gave users an immediate alphabetical browse of subject headings to one that displays hits. We did, however, set up the hypertext
links from the subject headings that display in an individual record to take the user to the browse display along with all of its cross references, so we haven't lost the capability to invoke a browse (at least this one type of browse) but we don't
confront our users with it on the initial results screen any more.
Steve Watkins
CSU Monterey Bay Library
steve_watkins_at_csumb.edu
Received on Wed Jul 25 2007 - 16:33:02 EDT