![[CLIS logo]](../IMAGES/head.jpg)
LBSC 671 - Creating Information Infrastructures
Fall 2013 - Section 0101
Assignment G14 - Evaluating Search Engines
This homework is due before the start of the class session indicated
on the syllabus. Partial credit may be awarded.
Try out three search systems from the list below and, for each,
answer the questions that follow the list of systems. Be sure to try
several types of searches (e.g., your personal interest, imagined
academic or professional information needs, searches you see in Web
logs, etc.) and to explore both basic and advanced search feautres
(when the system provides multiple modes).
Here are the questions:
- How easy is it to learn to use the system?
- How useful would the system be in the hands of a subject matter
expert who is not a professional searcher?
- How useful would the system be in the hands of a professional
searcher who is not a subject matter expert?
- How well can the user control the balance between recall
precision?
- How well are you able to determine what the system does and does
not make available for you to find? In other words, after you
have completed a search, do you have a good feel for how
comprehensive your search really was?
You can take either a comparative approach (e.g., System A is better
than System B for question 2) or an absolute approach (e.g., System A
was suitable for tasks a and b, but not for task c) to constructing
your answer -- whichever style you prefer. Grading of this assignment
will be done holistically, based on whether you uncovered interesting
issues that could help to guide your exploration of system design
issues this semester. This exercise should take you 2-3 hours,
including writing up your answers to the questions). You should
submit your assignment by adding it to yourWiki page.