I use the web as a source for learning - see Using The Web To Learn - about a wide range of subjects: making sourdough bread; writing software to analyse a shopping basket; or understanding why football teams are no longer using the 4-4-2 formation. However, there is one area that needs to be improved: access to relevant information based on my level of knowledge about a subject.
Let me give you an example. I have reached an age when medical breakthroughs are becoming more important. Recently a breakthrough was announced in the fight against the terrible disease Alzheimer’s. I was curious about the science behind the breakthrough, in particular the analysis of the data to support the claim, and a quick search found a copy of the paper.
The paper was full of terminology that I didn’t understand. More searches helped to clarify the different proteins, scanning techniques, assessment of Alzheimer’s etc. that give an overview of the research. However, I was still interested in the statistical analysis which was used to support the claim that the test is 87% accurate. This is when the problems started. Further searches started to produce a mish-mash of information: poor quality videos, badly written overheads for a lecture, chapters from draft books, chapters from books no longer available, lecture notes, different mathematical notation etc. After many coffee drenched hours I eventually found the correct level of information that helped me to understand the breakthrough. However, instead of trawling through piles of confusing information it would have been better if my search brought back the information at a level that I could understand in enough time to drink one cup of coffee !
This is my challenge to the search engine companies - when searching on a particular subject I need the information to be at a level that I can understand. So search engine companies - sharpen up your algorithms, speed up your computers and lets see what you can really do !