World
It’s a
GOOGLE and WIKIPEDIA
Lively Lunch, Charleston, SCNovember 6th, 2014
Deirdre CostelloSr. UX Researcher
Dr. Rong TangDirector, Simmons Usability Lab
about students’ digital habits
Let’s be
EARNEST
Googling as if Their Lives Depended On It
About ME
Experience:
Currently at EBSCO Information Services
5+ years experience in Library & Information Science
Education:
MSLIS from Simmons College
MA in English from Boston College
BA in English and Psychology from Lewis & Clark College
Deirdre Costello, Sr. UX Researcher
www.linkedin.com/pub/
deirdre-costello/12/440/593/
@deirdre_lyon
The Projects
Secondary ResearchLiterature review of elementary, middle and high school search habits
Video Diary StudyHigh school students self-reporting their research habits and preferences
Contextual Inquiry
One-on-one sessions with high school, college and graduate students discussing their research habits
of online resources
Students are using an
ECOSYSTEM
Prezi
On Google and Wikipedia?
Why do students
RELY
Familiar.They’re
Comfortable.They’re
They’re Rewarding.
Top, relevant
results first.
1. I trust it
Snippets make it
clear why users see
specific results.
2. I get itTop, relevant
results first.
1. I trust it
Snippets make it
clear why users see
specific results.
2. I get itTop, relevant
results first.
1. I trust itURL is a proxy for
credibility.
3. I’m the judge
1. Overview in “plain English”
2. TOC + Easily Scannable Headings
3. Links to More
SO WHYare students using Google and Wikipedia?
from library resources?
How is this
DIFFERENT
Takeaways
Google & WikipediaAre hugely influential – and they’re not going away.
Comfort and TrustAre essential to students, and they struggle to develop those with academic resources.
TimeIs an incredibly valuable resource to students and they use it carefully.
Stress and AnxietyAre a significant part of the research experience.
Authority
Students are looking for a way to feel in charge of their research experience.
