Conference Proceedings

Discovering the unfindable: The tension between findability and discoverability in a bookshop designed for serendipity

S Makri, YC Chen, D McKay, G Buchanan, M Ocepek

Proceedings (Part II) of Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2019 | Springer | Published : 2019

Abstract

Serendipity is a key aspect of user experience, particularly in the context of information acquisition - where it is known as information encountering. Unexpectedly encountering interesting or useful information can spark new insights while surprising and delighting. However, digital environments have been designed primarily for goal-directed seeking over loosely-directed exploration, searching over discovering. In this paper we examine a novel physical environment - a bookshop designed primarily for serendipity - for cues as to how information encountering might be helped or hindered by digital design. Naturalistic observations and interviews revealed it was almost impossible for participan..

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