Exploration Without Keywords: The Bookfish Case

Abstract

As a generation of information seekers we tend to think in terms of targeted search results, yet there are some contexts in which a more exploratory behaviour might be desirable. This paper presents the design and development of a playful Web app called Bookfish that seeks to encourage exploratory behaviour amongst children wishing to discover new books. Bookfish sets out to return more open, or even unexpected, serendipitous results through using an approach designed for exploration rather than search. The paper reports on the design considerations and initial user expectations of such a system and contributes both through this discussion of design as well as the application of a novel expl..