Xerox PARC study: Users mainly compare
By Kristoffer Bohmann, Bohmann Usability
Xerox PARC study: Users mainly compare. Jakob Nielsen comments on a study conducted by researchers from Xerox PARC. The study findings indirectly explain a key component in the success of Amazon.com Books. Book lovers can use Amazon as a shopping tool and as a reference tool. The Xerox PARC study refers to the latter user behavior as "collect". For instance, readers and students can use the site to gather information on new books by their favorite author or other books similar to their favorite readings. Even information about out-of-print books is available. Best of all, Amazon has turned these services into a business by offering out-of-print books from their dealer network and allowing users to sell used books directly on product pages.
Interestingly, Barnes & Noble hide out-of-print books in their search results - you need to know the ISBN number to find the book - thereby providing lower value of use when users carry out collect tasks(!)
Kristoffer Bohmann
