Search: Learning from Google
Matthias Basler has put together a very preliminary GUI design document for the OpenOffice bibliographic project (available here). When I get time I’ll try to find more detailed comments, but in the meantime, let me start with some general observations on search interfaces.
I find many search interfaces for bibliographic records – whether online library catalogs or those in personal reference manager applications – awkward. They require too many mouse clicks, and slow down workflow. So I suggest a few models to learn from:
- Google One of the reasons why Google has been successful is because of its simple inteface; a single field, with no other optional checkboxes or pop-ups.
- Apple’s applications In applications like iTunes and Mail, there is a single search field above a table view. A search filters the view, and clicking on the columns resorts.
- Endnote As much as I complain about Endnote, there are a few things I like. One is that in the table view, I can click a letter or letter-combo on the keyboard and quickly go to that point in the table.
- Making remote access easier The standard protocol for searching and downloading online catalog records from libraries is Z39.50. A search interface for this protocol ought to be just as easy, and almost as sparse, as the generic local search interface. Rob Sanderson is doing some interesting prototyping on this for OOo, having previously come up with a similar UI for Mozilla, which will no doubt improve over time.
