Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Yahoo's Mindset

Yahoo Research has introduced a beta version of a new search function called Mindset. What makes Mindset different? The user has some control over the results based on why she is using the site. Are you interested in microwaves? Well, if you are doing research on microwaves for a high school science project, move the slider bar to the far right ("researching"), and all the top entries are about microwaves as a scientifc concept or applied engineering (such as the Wikipedia entry on microwaves, a guided tour of an IEEE virtual museum tour on the subject, or a biography of one of the first people to apply microwaves in the 19th century). But if you want to buy a new microwave oven, move the slider bar to the far left ("shopping") and your first entries will be about how to buy an appliance.

Interesting to see how the seach engines are trying to bring more context to search.

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