A few weeks ago we discussed a monograph by M. Wilson, et al., which elucidated the failings the modern search engines when it comes to exploratory search. Wilson and associates concisely characterize exploratory search as revolving around needs that are “open-ended, persistent, and multifaceted, and information-seeking processes that are opportunistic, iterative, and multitactical.” Back in [...]

The monograph From Keyword Search to Exploration: Designing Future Search Interfaces for the Web by M. Wilson et al. lucidly reviews the current state of search interfaces that move beyond the traditional list of results. We’ve included some choice quotations below.

Even more recently, though, researchers have identified just how inadequate the familiar keyword search paradigms, provided by environments such as Google and Bing (Microsoft’s search engine), might be for users who need to do more than just find a website that answers a factual question. (p.9)