Redefining research with an AI librarian
Project details
Client
John Carter Brown Library
Project
Feature discovery
Services
Concept design, UX/UI design
Year
2023
Credits
Making the plan
For the Americana website, the research platform and digital collection of the John Carter Brown Library, we explored what searching the collection looked like when, instead of using a query with keywords, users could enter a conversational prompt.
The opportunity? Rather than users searching through a database of books and other materials to find a specific book and then looking for an answer within it, they can now directly ask a question and receive an immediate answer. This significantly reduces the number of steps involved, enabling them to conduct their research much more efficiently.
During a 4 week 'jumpstart' a visual designer and I created a concept and designed the key functionalities while the development team did a technical discovery.
Making the plan
We kicked off the project by diving deep into the vision and initial briefing. To ensure we fully understood what was needed, we crafted a set of targeted questions and brought them to our client. This helped clarify any uncertainties and allowed us to map out the features and technical dependencies that would be essential to achieving our goals.
Once we had a solid grasp on the project’s scope, we circled back with the client to review everything together. With everyone on the same page, we moved on to drafting user stories and building a backlog. Prioritizing these stories with the client was the final step before we were ready to hit the ground running with our sprints. We were prepped and eager to get started!
For the Americana website, the research platform and digital collection of the John Carter Brown Library, we explored what searching the collection looked like when, instead of using a query with keywords, users could enter a conversational prompt.
The opportunity? Rather than users searching through a database of books and other materials to find a specific book and then looking for an answer within it, they can now directly ask a question and receive an immediate answer. This significantly reduces the number of steps involved, enabling them to conduct their research much more efficiently.
During a 4 week 'jumpstart' a visual designer and I created a concept and designed the key functionalities while the development team did a technical discovery.
AI-Generated Answers
In our current keyword search system, results are displayed as cards in a grid, each featuring an image of the object, the title, and the author. With the addition of question-based searches, we now present the AI-generated answer at the top, above the 'standard' results.
Unified search experience
To ensure the search experience remains intuitive, we designed the search bar to handle both keywords and questions seamlessly. For consistency, keywords are extracted from questions to display results in the standard format. Rotating hint text in the search bar provides users with examples of different search methods.
Collaborative research with AI
The concept of Americana is to enable scholars and researchers to collaborate on projects. By saving AI-driven conversations within a project, collaborators can view the ongoing research and actively participate in the discussions.
More to come soon!
Solution
AI-Generated Answers
In our current keyword search system, results are displayed as cards in a grid, each featuring an image of the object, the title, and the author. With the addition of question-based searches, we now present the AI-generated answer at the top, above the 'standard' results.
Unified search experience
To ensure the search experience remains intuitive, we designed the search bar to handle both keywords and questions seamlessly. For consistency, keywords are extracted from questions to display results in the standard format. Rotating hint text in the search bar provides users with examples of different search methods.
Collaborative research with AI
The concept of Americana is to enable scholars and researchers to collaborate on projects. By saving AI-driven conversations within a project, collaborators can view the ongoing research and actively participate in the discussions.
More to come soon!
