A Fielded Search by Any Other Name…
I’m back in New York after a stimulating 3 days at Special Libraries Association (SLA), where the traffic was steady and customer feedback was generally positive. Overall, users are enthusiastic about our product direction, notably the new content collections and the addition of Knovel Lab.
In a couple of weeks, we’ll be showcasing a redesign of Fielded Search in Knovel Lab. As it stands today, it’s too hard to use except for the most dedicated users. We’ve improved the usability of this powerful search feature by more directly displaying the searchable properties that retrieve information found in Knovel tables and graphs – e.g., substances with freezing points greater than or equal to -22 C; critical properties (temperature, pressure, volume, compressibility) of a particular substance; or alloys with shear strength between 80 and 100 ksi.
Searching in this mode is very different from doing a keyword search that retrieves a section of a chapter in PDF or HTML; these results return data in rows and columns of reference tables and graphs.
Usually, when I demonstrate Fielded Search to new users, they’re thrilled by the power – and then they ask, why they didn’t know about it before? That tells me we need to make it easier for them to find and use it. Some even have told me that they noticed the name “fielded search” but they didn’t know what it meant and didn’t have the time to find out. So, there is a strong consensus that the name Fielded Search needs to change to something more reflective of what it does. I’ve started asking for suggestions and have received many thoughtful ideas thus far, but I feel like I could use more help.
Here’s a running list we’re considering, alone, or in combination.
Properties Search
Material Properties Search
Numeric Range Search
As always, your feedback matters. If you care to cast your vote, you can email me at dbittern@knovel.com, or use the Feedback link on Knovel. Thanks!
