DonnaM » Blog Archive » Findability vs discoverability

Findability vs discoverability

I’m starting to think on all of the things that fell into my head over the weekend of the IA Summit.

Something that I’ve never been comfortable with is the concept of ‘findability’. Yes, it is important to be able to find information but, as I have commented before, finding information is not the end of an information journey, it is just the beginning (just like ‘navigating’ is not important in its own right, it is just a means to an end).

I like the related concept of ‘discoverability’ much more. A definition of discover, (from, which is one of my new favourite sites) involves:

“To notice or learn, especially by making an effort”

This definition highlights the learning aspect, rather than the locating aspect. It puts the information task in a broader context of learning rather than focusing on it as a task in itself. It broadens the task into something that could encompass a lot of small ‘finding’ tasks.

I think we should talk about this more, about making our information discoverable rather than findable.

One Response to “Findability vs discoverability”

  1. Deakialli DocuMental Says:

    Findability o Discoverable

    Donna M. en Findability vs discoverability reflexiona sobre qu