UserZoom: Search For People Online Study
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www.userzoom.com 01/11/22 1 Webinar: Searching Online for People Dec 2009
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Here are the results of our recent study about how people search online. We dive into this complex world of searching for people, which has become quite a hot topic thanks to the popularity of social networking websites. The goals were: - To discover how people search online for personal information on someone. - Understand people’s impressions, likes and dislikes when using a social networking site or search engine when searching for someone.
Transcript of UserZoom: Search For People Online Study
www.userzoom.com
11/04/23 1
Webinar:
Searching Online for People
Dec 2009
www.userzoom.com
About UserZoom (1 min)
Study Background (3 min)
Methodology and Technology (3 min)
Executive Summary (3 min)
Findings and Opportunities (20 min)
Learn more about UserZoom Self-Serve Edition (15 min)
Questions and Comments (15 min)
Agenda
www.userzoom.com
About UserZoom
Leading online user experience research software company
We offer an on-demand, cost-effective software application that
empowers businesses to conduct powerful online user experience and
usability research.
Highly experienced (in business since 2001)
We offer advanced training & excellent customer support
www.userzoom.com
Sunnyvale (CA)
London (UK)
Barcelona (Spain)
www.userzoom.com
www.userzoom.com
Study Background
Goals
To discover how people search online for personal information on someone.
Understand people’s impressions, likes and dislikes when using a social networking site or search engine when searching for someone.
ProfilesMales and females 18-65 that currently have and use social networking accounts.
103 participants completed the study.
www.userzoom.com
Technology: UserZoom
• UZ Self-Serve collects UX data of hundreds of users as they complete directed or natural tasks. Users can be located anywhere in the world.
• The software compiles the data and creates top-line reports.
• Usability experts use these reports to create actionable recommendations.
www.userzoom.com
Searching for people online– Starting from a blank webpage, please go to a website of your choosing and search for Saeed Amidi. Please take note of what company he is President and CEO of as you will be asked for this information later.
Study Task
www.userzoom.com
Introduction:
• What social networking sites do you currently use?• Which search engines do you currently use?
Post-task:
• Success ratio by validation• Preference choices and why• Best liked when using a search engine or social networking site• Least liked when using a search engine or social networking site
Final Questions:
• Changes in the way you look for someone and perceive someone because of social networking
• Important features when using social networking to find information on someone• Best liked about social networking sites in general• Least liked about social networking sites in general
Study Design
www.userzoom.com
Executive Summary
• 82% of participants conducted their search for someone using a search engine while 14% used a social networking site.
• In regards to social networking sites, 60% of participants like seeing personalized information on someone, 52% like having the ability to add someone easily, and 33% think social networking sites are difficult to conduct searches on.
• When searching for personalized information on someone (not business related), there was a 50/50 split on using social networking sites vs search engines.
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Executive Summary (II)
• A significant percentage(35%) participants said that social networking has not changed the way they look for information on someone or perceive someone.
• When using a social networking site the three most preferred features are:
1. The ability to connect to people without needing their email address,
2. Being able to see a photo of someone on their page, and 3. The ability to get personal information on someone.
• People like most about social networking sites the ability to connect/reconnect with friends. They like least the issues they have with privacy and security.
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Sites currently used
• Participants in the study use Facebook and LinkedIn more often for social networking and Google and Wikipedia most often for search engines.
• Google is used by almost all as a primary search engine.
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Task Results
•81% of the participants were successful with the task and completed it in an average of 1:16 minutes.
•82% of these participants used a search engine, primarily Google, to conduct this search.
www.userzoom.com
Task Results
78% of the participants started their search on Google. A search engine was used primarily to conduct searches for Saeed Amidi over using a social networking site.
Blank Webpage
Yahoo
Facebook100%
2%
4%
8%
78%
Plaxo2%
www.userzoom.com
Task Results
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Rating social networking sites
• 60% of the participants like seeing personalized information on someone on a social networking site.
• 42% like being able to add someone easily after they searched for information on them.
• 32% like using social networking sites but find them difficult to conduct searches on.
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Preferred site for personal searches
• When searching for personal information on someone (not business related) participants preferred using a search engine and social networking site equally.
Social Networking
51%
Search Engine;
49%
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Why a site is preferred for searching
“I can find more personal information on social networking sites.”
“The information has been added by the individual I am searching for, so it is more reliable.”
Social Networking Sites
Search Engine
“Fast, accurate, and what I am looking for.”
“Variety of Information.”
www.userzoom.com
Has social networking changed how you look for information on someone?
Yes No
• “Yes, I pay more attention to where people work and live.”
• “Yes, I do check LinkedIn and FB profiles of people who I meet.”
• “Definitely, I always look someone up on LI if I meet them in a professional capacity, and Twitter in a social situation.”
• “Yes, I review profiles before considering people for interviews or employment opportunities.”
• “Yes, there is a lot more information to find now.”
• “Yes, I become more of a hunter of their personal life.”
• “No, it only provides a landing page for a real search engine like Google.”
• “No. I still start with a general search.”
• “No, however Google has changed how successful I am at finding someone.”
• “ Not really… I still use a search engine most of time as its easier.”
• “No, my fist search is still on Google search.”
• “No, it changed the way how I keep track of people, not how I search for them.”
www.userzoom.com
Has social networking changed the way you perceive someone?
Yes No
• “Yes, better understand their background and interests.”
• “Yes, you can judge them based on who else they are connected to and what activity they post online.”
• “Yes, I understand the person’s context a little more.”
• “Yes, I can know that person better.”
• “Yes you have more information about them.”
• “Yes additional information gives more ideas of what the person is.”
• “No I’m only friends with friends.”
• “Not at all.”
• “No I just react to available information.”
• “Not really, finding information about individuals on social networking tends to educate me more on the person’s history.”
• “Not really. It is taken with a grain of salt as it is easy to hide behind a screen.”
• “Not really, unless the person provides endless information I didn’t need to know anyway.”
www.userzoom.com
Important features in social networking:
3
2
1
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Most and least liked about social networking:
Most Least
• “Making new connections.”
• “Connecting with old friends.”
• “The ease of finding someone.”
• “The ability to connect with a lot of people.”
• “Connecting with professionals in relevant roles.”
• “Connecting with long-lost friends.”
• “It’s so easy to keep in touch with lots of people in one place.”
• “Ability to locate old friends.”
• “Privacy concerns.”
• “That my info can be seen by anyone.”
• “Poor security/privacy concerns.”
• “Invasion of privacy.”
• “All the work can see your information.”
• “Being viewed by someone you don’t want to.”
• “Lack of privacy.”
• “My personal info availability.”
www.userzoom.com
www.userzoom.com
More about UZ Self-Serve Edition
www.userzoom.com
Easily create and manage your studies with UZ Manager
www.userzoom.com
Easily create and manage your studies with UZ Manager
www.userzoom.com
Analyze results with UZ Analytics
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Analyze results with UZ Analytics: Clickstreams per task
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Analyze results with UZ Analytics: Clickmaps/heatmaps per page
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Analyze results with UZ Analytics: Clickmaps/heatmaps per page
www.userzoom.com
Would you like a demo?Contact us and we’ll offer you a chance to see and try out our technology
Do you have any questions?We’re sure you have many questions. Don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be glad to answer them.
USA Office 440 N. Wolfe Rd. - Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (USA) · [t] +1 (408) 524 7445
UK Office AylesburyHouse, 17-18 AylesburyStreet, London EC1R 0DB(UK) · [t] + 44 (0)20 7193 2171
Spain Offices Av. Diagonal 419, 3º 2ª - 08008 Barcelona - T. +34 93 414 75 54 - F. +34 93 368 42 95 Gran Vía 62, 7º Izda. - 28013 Madrid - T. +34 91 542 62 52 - F. +34 91 298 08 92
Contact us at [email protected]
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