The Human Factors Blog  mentioned the release of a special edition of Computers in Human Behavior that featured an article around Thinking Style Impacts on Web Search Strategies. 

This has always been an interesting topic for me, and reading this article reminded me of my favorite example to describe how people think and use websites:

Imagine that you are going to the supermarket to buy your weekly groceries.  How do you find what you are looking for?   In general there are 3 different thinking styles and thus 3 types of ways we go about finding what we need when shopping in the local supermarket:

 

1.  Pasta is on my list.  Take me Straight to the Pasta and Sauces aisle!:  She knows exactly what she is here for and wants to go directly to where to find it.  She will walk passed the Produce and Dairy aisles and will pay not attention to Brangelina’s latest baby news on the magazine rack.  Translation: The search bar user.  This user wants to quickly and easily find what they want without a lot of work on their part.  Smart searches help this user – she doesn’t have to worry about typos and can just let the system do the work for her. 

 

2. The Hunt-And-Peck aisle browser:  He has a general idea of what he needs.  Sure, Pasta and Sauce are on his list but he would like to roam and browse the aisles to see what other items the supermarket has to offer.  On his way to the pasta and sauce aisle he walks up and down each aisle.  He wonders what else may he discover and pick up along the way.  “I didn’t know that this supermarket also offered a whole line of organic yogurts and cheeses!  Come to think of it I am in the mood for some Aged Gouda.”   Translation:  The browser.  This type of user generally will use browse functions peruse what is on your site and eventually find what they are looking for.  Use browse technology that is efficient but also allows the user to make discoveries of what else your site contains while they browse.

and last but not least…

3. The Aisle Sign Reader.  This user knows that she is looking for Past and Sauce but takes the time to orient herself to her local supermarket’s layout to methodically find what she is looking  for.  She reads the tag above each aisle until she finds what she wants.  Translation: The navigation user.  This person will orient themselves to your site’s navigation and look through your hierarchy to find what they want.   Efficient and logical navigational structures point these users in the right direction while giving them an opportunity to learn more about what your company has to offer.

No single method of finding information is better than any other.  They simply point to the different ways people think.  So in my life-long quest to encourage good design,  I urge you all:  Do not be afraid of giving your users more than one way of getting to the data they are looking for!  Love your Take Me Straight To Pasta! users, your hunt-and-peck aisle browsing users, and your aisle-sign-readers. 

Try to target the needs of all 3 types of users in your designs by giving them all more than one method to find what they are looking.  Make it easier for each and they will feel at home on your site and subtly more comfortable with your brand!