A/B/C Test for floating more value via preview/search buttons

[Sadashii]

Description & Patron Story

Currently, the Open Library 'Preview' experience is limited, which can sometimes lead to patron disappointment. However, the preview still allows patrons to search across the entire book—a highly valuable but underutilized feature. Because patrons are often unaware that they can search inside the whole book at all times, our goal is to increase the discoverability of the 'Search Inside' feature while maintaining clear access to the preview.

To find the best approach, we are launching an A/B/C experiment to test different UI variations.

Relevant Designs

We will test three distinct patron experiences to identify which provides the best clarity and engagement:

1. Option A: 'Preview' option

   • Idea: The ability to preview is the primary value driver here, and the 'Search Inside' feature should instead be made more prominent within the reader interface itself.
   

2. Option B: 'Search inside preview' option

   • Idea: We can surface both capabilities (searching and previewing) simultaneously in a single call-to-action.
   

3. Option C: Separate 'Preview' and 'Search Inside' buttons

   • Idea: Explicitly separating the buttons conveys to the patron that both distinct features are readily available right from the start.
   

Decisions

Stakeholders

@mekarpeles
@lokesh

[Amara777]

Hi! I see that there's an assignee for this; is it possible for me to see how the A/B test is run for this issue? I'm super curious about which result patrons will prefer and how design decisions are decided on/tested on OpenLibrary. It would also be helpful for contributing in a similar way to any future related issues :)

[Sadashii]

Definitely @Amara777, the PR for this should be made in the next day or two. And you can check that out, have you joined OpenLibrary on slack? That is where the most communication happens and we could reel you in with how the final choice is made once the metrics are in.