Library research databases have the worst UI in the whole world

February 29, 2012 - 11:01am — Blake

Google-Trained Minds Can't Deal with Terrible Research Database UI
"The librarians quoted here understand most of the key problems, and are especially sharp about "the myth of the digital native" -- about which see also this deeply sobering Metafilter thread -- but there's one vital issue they're neglecting: research databases have the worst user interfaces in the whole world."

Comments

February 29, 2012 - 11:36am — david_lee

The same also applies to most

The same also applies to most library opacs.

February 29, 2012 - 1:12pm — Anonymous

Doesn't help our cause

Telling the world that they need librarians because...well, our (librarian-designed) user interface is so bad that only a librarian can use it...doesn't seem like a good marketing plan.

February 29, 2012 - 3:28pm — Anonymous

even UI in the future will be bad, based on sci-fi

Star Trek; Rollerball... find me a futuristic depiction of a library or even a supercomputer that makes searching easy... basically, the characters spend a lot of time trying to learn how to phrase their questions properly so they can find what they want. you never see a google-like interface where you get back 1,000,000 search results and hopefully, the top 10 are what you want... so I think libraries are on the right track to fulfilling this futuristic vision.

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