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Are You Engaging in Recreational Search?

Hereâ€™s something Iâ€™ve been wondering about: Is there room for recreational search?

First, a little background…

When I joined Viewzi in December, I had a very real fear that we would be perceived as a novelty. At the time, Viewzi was a great concept. But the execution… I found myself advocating for a ton of very mundane things. Is this usable? Why did you break my scroll wheel? Why would someone actually use this? Whatâ€™s the functional value of that â€˜spinny’ thing? I probably annoyed some people with my relentless nagging. But, usability, utility, usefulnessâ€” you have to get these right in order to create a great experience.

At the time, Viewzi was an all-Flash solution, which isnâ€™t necessarily a bad thingâ€” objectively. But just the choice to use Flash (in any capacity) is an emotionally charged topic. That, and thereâ€™s a history of failed Flash visualizations and experiments that we didnâ€™t want to be associated with. Aside from this issue, there were dozens of little quirks-- no page states (which meant no bookmarking urls), a search path that didnâ€™t let you stay within the same view, screen real estate issues, and other thingsâ€” that became painfully obvious when we began using this as our full-time search.

Accordingly, much of what you see today is the result of us focusing on making this a useful and usable (and desirable) tool that could replace your search engine of choice.

So, it surprised me a bit when I began reading reviews like this one:

If one were to draw a metaphor for Viewzi, it would be the Porsche Carrera to Toyotaâ€™s Camry. Itâ€™s an evening or weekend thrill. Something to play with. A new route to take from A to B (and then to C, to D, to E, etc.).

via Mashable

and this:

I found myself caught up in my searchingâ€“itâ€™s almost as addictive as StumbleUpon. It probably wonâ€™t replace the quick, simple efficiency of Google, but it might just make your list of alternative search tools

via Marketing Pilgrim

and this:

Generally, I donâ€™t like to spend a lot of time in search; destinations are far more interesting. Though, with viewzi, you might forget you are just searching.

hackd

Hereâ€™s whatâ€™s interesting: No one has called us a novelty. In fact, quite the opposite--weâ€™re possibly â€œa hint of what the future of search will look likeâ€ and we make â€œvisual search usable.â€ Our hard work is paying off.

But, the feedback doesnâ€™t necessarily advocate Viewzi as a replacement for a certain search engine, either. Instead, thereâ€™s a third option emerging: Viewzi as the weekend joyride. Clearly better for certain types of activities, but not necessarily for everyday use…

I had never thought of Viewzi in quite this way. And while Iâ€™ve long believed even the most ruthlessly task-focused activities can also be emotionally engaging, my mental model of search is (or has been) that it is a means to an end. However, the response to Viewzi is making me rethink this…

People are clearly having fun using Viewzi. And in the process Iâ€™m seeing a new form of search begin to emerge, one that is more recreational than utilitarian (not that we should be any less focused on quickly connecting people to results!).

So, what do you think? Are we creating a new kind of search experience? Can search be fun?

Written by Stephen P. Anderson on July 1, 2008, posted in General.

Comments

Wade Winningham said:

While there could be recreational use, I think it’s still an offshoot of utility.

I think Viewzi is doing two things: letting me view things in the context of what I’m searching for and helping me filter the results. Not sure I get the Camry vs. Carrera comparison since if both cars are the same price, I think I’d always use the Carrera. I’m not sure I’d always use Viewzi. At least right now.

Currently, if I’m going to search for images of something I’ll try PicLens or Viewzi because I simply get a crappy experience using traditional search engines. I was in Vegas recently and went to a Peter Lik gallery. The pictures of Antelope Canyon blew me away. When I got home, I used Viewzi to see other photographs of Antelope Canyon. Likewise with video and music, Viewzi focuses me on the content in a pleasing manner. Likewise, in developing a website, Viewzi has made it easier to locate icons and site photography, too, although I think a ‘Licensable Photography’ view may be even better. But then, that’s the beauty of Viewzi. There’s the potential of a view just like I want to be there.

Right now, if I’m searching for some code library or something I’ll use Google. If Viewzi added a really slick Code View or something that made that experience better, then I’d use Viewzi. I think that’s just an iterative process. As you add more, smarter views, I think usage will grow. You’ve covered a lot of ground, but what else are people searching for that you haven’t covered already?

Posted on July 01, 2008 at 1:06 PM

Stephen P. Anderson said:

You’ve nailed our value prop on the head “letting me view things in the context of what Iâ€™m searching for and helping me filter the results.” I’ve been using the word ‘intent’ quite a bit lately, as we’re designing search for very specific activities and contexts.

Lets talk about “a really slick Code View.” We’ve introduced that idea several times, but would love to talk about any ideas you might have…

Posted on July 01, 2008 at 1:58 PM

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I believe there is a direct correlation between the “discovery” mindset and “recreational” search.

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There is thin red line which turns something to a failure or a successful venture and I think you people are going to hold the succeeded side. It makes a difference which is key to success.

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