Shaken, Not Steered: The Value of Shaking Up the Search Process

The search engines of our times have brought ubiquitous access to information into the reach of nearly everyone. A wealth of information is just one click away, and streamlined search engines have become increasingly efficient at looking up information. However, the fact that it is simple to look up information does not necessarily mean that it is easy to find the material one really needs, especially in the context of complex tasks. At the early stages of the search process a novice searcher has to create a focus in order to succeed in the task at hand, requiring deep exploration and an understanding of the involved topic. However, these novices may perform only superficial searches; worse still, they do not even realize it. Therefore, we argue that shallow information seeking needs a "shake-up": shallow information seeking ventures should be deepened by ‘disrupting’ the search process, especially of inexperienced users This paper discusses the potential value of shaking up the search process, and aims to stimulate discussion about the level of support a searcher needs.