Use resource types as subdivisions of their associated contexts rather than as separate facets¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Based on the finding that users have difficulty distinguishing between the various kinds of document types, resource types and formats, the authors recommend that separate facets for different kinds of resource types be replaced by subdivisions under their associated contexts. They observe that "certain resource types are associated with particular scenarios or contexts, for example Course material types with Courses", and conclude: "Rather than providing separate facets for different kinds of resource types, they should be used as subdivisions for the associated contexts." This follows from participants' confusion among the Course material types, Document types, Reference types and Information types facets during the navigation exercises.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A taxonomy whose resource-type categories can be attached as subdivisions under context categories such as courses

Constraints¶

• The recommendation addresses the observed difficulty distinguishing resource-type facets; the article does not report a test of the redesigned structure

Target Learners¶

• students and faculty browsing an organizational digital repository

Target Learning Goals¶

• locating resources of a desired type or format within a taxonomy-based interface

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Khoo, C.S.G., Wang, Z., & Chaudhry, A.S. (2013). Task-based navigation of a taxonomy interface to a digital repository. Information Research, 17(4) paper 547. http://InformationR.net/ir/17-4/paper547.html