Search Engines as
“Answer Engines”
Kevin Hansen
USU - Inst 6140 - Usability Presentation

Search Engines

Answer Engines
Type in a
question
Get an answer
Answer
Should be able Engine
to enter
question as Calculations
sentence

Example of Answer Engines
http://wolframalpha.com

Searching...Before:
resource discovery
Search for a resource
Engage in a site
Keep coming back to
same site for answers
“Sticky”

Searching...Now:
answer discovery
freeloaders
Get answer and leave
88% - start at search
engine

Don’t care which site

The web IS
the resource

Causes
search quality
always on connections
web viewed as whole

Implications?

Good for users
easy in and out
find answers
do math

bad for websites
“leeches” or freeloaders
bandwidth
development time

One Possible
Exception:
eCommerce
sites and Wikis
“one time buyer”
Product is the answer

What
to
do?

Unique visitors are
irrelevant stats

Go for
Return
Visitors

Fly-trap
content
Games
Polls
Trivia
“viral videos” - youtube

“see also” links
Don’t send the user on a wild goose chase!
They came for an answer, give it to them

more than pure information
stats
analysis
unique viewpoints
graphics

email
newsletter

social
component
forums, blogs,
profile points,
discounts
make
connections
draw them back

Affiliate programs

Newsfeeds/RSS

“making users
return” rather
than “stickiness”

note on mobile features
somewhat of an exception
mobile users tend to come back more frequently once
they’ve found a site they like
more difficult to browse on a phone
rather return to “known” sites when on the move

Education