Have a Clue! The Effect of Visual Cues on Children’s Search Behavior in the Classroom

We study the effect of visual cues on children searching in the classroom. We do so by examining whether Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) enhanced with emojis, unlike standard SERP, affect children’s search behaviour. To capture search behaviour, we use well-known metrics, in addition to users’ success in identifying relevant results on SERP. Outcomes from our work reveal that a one-size-fits-all approach for SERP does not befit students who are searching for learning. Thus, we discuss the implications of our findings and suggest directions for future research, focused on the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems that can better support the classroom setting.