The document discusses the "dumbing down" of intelligent search and provides suggestions for improving search experiences. It contains several quotes about search engines, users, and the importance of understanding user needs. The document advocates that search engines should be configured by those who understand the business domain rather than just engineers, and that users, content providers, and search engine builders all have responsibilities in delivering a quality search experience.

1. The dumbing down of
intelligent search
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
Enterprise Search
May 10, 2011
New York, NY

2. Waddaya mean? Who’s dumb?
The dumbing down of
intelligent search
”Smart Search” you jerk!
We’re gonna nail Eric Reiss
@elreiss
you on Twitter!
Enterprise Search
May 10, 2011
New York, NY
What’s this stupid sign all about?

3. Screw the app…
solve the problem!

5. Three quotes…

6. A philosophy
“If people can’t figure out how to use
your search engine, maybe you need
a search engine that’s figured out how
people think.”

7. A metaphor
“Search engines are the receptionists
of cyberspace – and like the real world,
there are good ones and bad ones.”

8. A statistic
“Are visitors getting as much out of your
site as you put into it? According to
industry analysts, probably not – a
third will leave before they find what
they came to get. So much for ‘return
on investment.’”

9. Let’s continue on an upbeat note...

10. The Death of George Boole
1815 - 1864

11. Three quotes…

12. Sept. 1998

13. A timeline…
‘91 ‘93 ‘95 ‘98 2011
You are
Gopher
here
MondoSearch
Mosaic brochure
Yahoo!
Google

14. Just sayin’… #1
Maybe it’s time we started singing
a different song…
It’s not that what we say is wrong,
it’s just not working. We need to
teach by example.

15. The three faces of enterprise search

16. Algorithm Implementation Use

17. OH “It must be true. It was on Google.”

19. Just sayin’… #2
People learn skills in one environment
that they expect to be able to use in
other, similar environments.

21. But even Google doesn’t always
get it right…

23. “No battle plan
can survive
contact with
the enemy”
Helmuth Graf von Moltke – 1800-1891

25. algorithms

26. The joys of
enterprise search
We control the environment
We can move beyond pattern matching
We can create custom-tailored UX

27. Don’t ignore that man behind the curtain
We make the magic. No one else.

28. Just sayin’… #3
The fatal flaw is to ignore the
spirit of the task.

30. People
Technologies
Processes

33. Well…
If only the damned content providers
would supply us with meta-descriptions…

36. Ah! Ultimately…
it must be the fault of
those idiot users…

37. “The problem with
making things
foolproof is that
fools are so
damned ingenious!”
Laurence J. Peter – 1919-1990

38. What the search test subject says:
“I’m looking for a pair of red,
patent-leather, peep-toe pumps
with a medium heel and a strap.”

39. What the search test subject types:
red shoes

45. Just sayin’… #4
If you can do something on Google,
but you can’t do the same thing on
your own site, find out why and fix it.
This is a business imperative if you
rely on benefits from the long tail.

48. Just sayin’…#5
Any idiot can enable bad behavior.
The trick is to encourage good behavior.
This is the difference between
mere “design” and “good design”.

56. Just sayin’…#6
Too many enterprise search engines
are still configured by engineers.
But this only works if your dev team
understands the language of your
business. Do they?

57. Algorithm Implementation Use

58. The French built this…
…without power tools!

59. Just sayin’…#7
A good craftsman never blames his tools.
A sharp knife will help a master chef do
his job better. But buying a sharp knife
will not make you a master chef.

60. Some thoughts for algorithm-builders
Until you learn to read minds, there will be no
magic bullet
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Hey CMS folks – make it easier to add
metadata!
Singing the praises of technology is not going
to get businesses to sit up and take notice.

61. Some thoughts for implementers
If you don’t understand the business, you
shouldn’t be tampering with search
Content providers need to understand search
(so what else is new?)
Matching patterns isn’t matching needs
You control the environment. Use this power to
truly enhance the experience. This is hard-core
UX!

62. Some thoughts for users
Garbage in, garbage out
“Error 40”
Be critical. Demand quality. Speak up.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. You can’t break
a search engine.
Learn some basic search techniques
Use phrases
Use multiple words
Write query as an answer rather than a question

63. Five questions

64. What’s the date of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address?
What’s the key ingredient in bearnaise sauce?
What’s the most fuel-efficient car in the world?
When did Daniel Defoe write “Moll Flanders”?
How many stripes does a zebra have?

70. Your mission, Mr. Phelps…
Stop making excuses for bad search
Go to your kid’s school and teach the class
about search
Has anybody bothered to build the business
case for search in your company?
Don’t wait for someone else to do the heavy
lifting! You’re here in NYC at Enterprise Search.
You ARE the vanguard!

71. Don’t just prevent bad things
from happening…
Please, make wonderful things happen!

72. Thank you!

73. Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
Twitter: @elreiss
info@fatdux.com
www.fatdux.com