Project Muse’s New Interface Eliminates Advanced Search Mode
Yet another baffling move recently was Project Muse‘s decision to eliminate its Advanced Search mode and go to a browsable interface. The idea is that you put in a few search terms, then use the facets on the left side of the screen to narrow the results. I am not sure who thought of this idea, but the method of searching for a specific author/title result is now imbedded into a second search page. After getting some results, users can now use the “Modify Search” button to access a search screen that allows you to search for a specific article. Performance Reviews are now imbedded within result lists, without a facet to allow you to quickly pull them out – a major detraction from this brave new world of browse/search modes. Result lists are quite varied, and the facets don’t always provide users with the limits that one would hope to see. If you have a moment, try a few searches in Muse and let me know your thoughts.
