A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we had tested out our prototype for a new approach to collection creation, see Collection Creation Reimagined post. Well, the findings have now been tallied and the results are in!
The general consensus was that we are on the right track. Participants were unanimous in their opinion that the basic approach of:
* a guided workflow with a review step;
* templates to speed up configuration of common results presentation layouts; and
* a dashboard from which to manage your clients setups,
were all a big step in the right direction.
Participants were also consistent in the areas they considered were still confusing. In particular:
* Use of the term 'search service' to represent the elements other than data sources and results page layouts that need to be set up before a basic search can function;
* Introducing the setup of ‘search service’ elements part way through the data source setup process;
* Using the term Update to represent triggering a crawl; and
* Using the term Delete to represent removing a datasource from a search.
Plus there were some areas that consistently generated positive comments. These were:
* The concept of having templates for common search result page layouts;
* The ability to review results of the setup process on a single page; and
* The dashboard which shows a view of the 'data source to search results page to service' relationships.
What now I hear you say. Well, our next step is to iterate the prototype based on the feedback received. We are also going to expand the scope of the prototype to further test the new collection management concepts by:
* populating the dashboard view with multiple clients;
* incorporating manage data sources screens; and
* incorporating manage results pages screens.
We are hoping to have the revised prototype finished in time to schedule the next round of testing in the week of the 27th October.
Interested in being involved in the next round of testing? Then keep your eye on this space as I will be posting an article with links for you to register your interest very soon.
