This course will provide an introduction to the design of search user experiences with a focus on the fundamental principles of faceted search and navigation.

Who should attend? Intranet/web managers, information architects, search specialists, developers and managers of search projects, or anyone who either has implemented or is planning to implement a search application and wants to maximise the usability and effectiveness of their investment.

Previous delegate feedback “Really useful, informative” “One of the best courses I’ve attended”

Programme Faceted search offers tremendous potential for transforming the search experience. It provides a flexible framework that can satisfy a wide variety of user needs, from simple fact retrieval to complex exploratory search. It is now the dominant interaction paradigm for most library sites and is increasingly applied to a wide range of search applications. However, with this power comes a challenge: what kinds of categorisation schemes are effective and how should we use them to support search and navigation? How can we design search experiences that integrate effectively with other user journeys and tasks? Above all, how can we deliver search applications that address a diverse range of user needs and goals without compromising usability?

The course will include both presentations and group work to enable delegates to analyse, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of search applications within their own organisation. You will:

◾Explore the fundamental concepts of Human-Centred Design for information search and discovery

◾Learn how to differentiate between various types of search behaviour: known-item, exploratory, lookup, learning, investigation, etc.

◾Understand the dimensions of search usability and how to apply them to different user contexts

◾Study the basic principles of faceted classification and how to use them to deliver effective search and navigation experiences