Search Engines' Help Systems

The help information provided by search engines can facilitate its user's information seeking process or hinder it. This study analyzed 20 search engines on how their help systems are placed and organized. Help systems are separated into pre-search help system, and post-search help system, and six aspects of help systems were investigated, including navigation, design elements, technical help, conceptual help, terminological, and strategic aspects. A general taxonomy of existing help systems of search engines is provided as the result. The proposed taxonomy may be used as the framework to develop questionnaire for further study in stereotyping search engine users.