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Introduction
A (brief) history
Interface: a definition
Users
+ modes of information seeking
+ cognitive load
Usability
+ usability testing
Design
+ faceted searching
+ displaying results
Challenges for libraries
+ public libraries
+ academic libraries
The future/Conclusion
Bibliography
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Users: Modes of Information Seeking
 According to Donna Spencer, there are four modes of information seeking--and, by extension, four types of information seekers (Spencer, 2006):
1. Known-item seekers
2. Exploratory seekers
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Some idea of what they need to know
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May not know how to articulate what they need in words
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May not know where to start looking
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Usually able to recognize when they have found what they need, but may not know if it is enough
3. Seekers who don't know what they need to know
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May think that they need one thing, but actually need another
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Or, may visit a site without any specific goal in mind
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Require simple, concise answers to meet initial need; more detailed information may be sought in follow-up
4. Seekers who want to re-find
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Looking for something they have already seen
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May or may not remember where they saw it
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May wish to retain their search
Morville identifies a strikingly similar set of four information seeking behaviours, using (amusingly kitschy) fishing analogies: Perfect Catch, Lobster Trapping, Indiscriminate Driftnetting, and 'I've seen you before Moby Dick' (Morville & Rosenfeld, 2007, p. 33-34). However, recognizing types of information seeking is less important, says Spencer, than acknowledging that "a range of modes exist" when embarking on interface design [my emphasis] (Spencer, 2006, p.1).
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