Online research databases provider EBSCO Publishing has announced the latest version of its user interface, EBSCOhost. Version 2.0 of the product is projected to offer an intuitive approach to searching online databases. In addition, new and powerful Web 2.0 user controls such as a date slider, mouse-over previews, and modals are seen to make the interface more dynamic.
According to the company, designers approached the changes as a complete redesign and created the new interface which starts with a new Basic Search screen. The screen simplifies the initial search experience while providing the functionality that users associate with the EBSCOhost platform. The new Result List becomes the launching pad - the mechanism through which results are tailored and refined - delivering a wide variety of brand new tools designed to organise, refine and expand search results.
A magnifying glass icon beside a title provides an instant preview of the article's citation, directly from the Result List. Users will be able to hover over a result and expand it without ever leaving the list. Thumbnail images in the Result List contain the graphical content of an article, and clinking on the thumbnail brings up an instant view of the full sized image content.
EBSCOhost 2.0 offers a Search Options link so that users can choose among several search modes and available limiters for refining search results. A new search option called SmartText Searching allows users to move beyond keyword searching and paste large amounts of text into a search box.
A Cite button displays all the possible citation formats for a given article. The How to Cite feature was a direct result of on-campus testing. In addition, a Find More Like This link was replaced with links to actual Related Articles after testing indicated that the articles themselves would be more effective than a link.
The new design also incorporates functions that users are accustomed to using on the web. EBSCOhost 2.0 includes a Preferences link, allowing the user control over the look and feel of the Result List, and lets users save those preferences in a My EBSCOhost folder for use in future sessions. In addition, the contents of a My EBSCOhost folder may be sorted among multiple folders. A future enhancement will make it possible for EBSCOhost users to share folders.
