Discoverability

Discoverability is the degree to which of something, especially a piece of content or information, can be found in a search of a file, database, or other information system. Discoverability is a concern in library and information science, many aspects of digital media, software and web development, and in marketing, since something (e.g., a website, product, service, etc.) cannot be used if people cannot find it or do not understand what it can be used for. Metadata, or 'information about information,' such as a book's title, a product's description, or a website's keywords, affects how discoverable something is on a database or online. In the 2010s, adding metadata to a product that is available online can make it easier for end users to find the product. For example, if a song file is made available online, making the title, name of the band, genre, year of release, and other pertinent information available in connection with this song file will make it easier for users to find this song file. Organizing information by putting it into alphabetical order or including it in a search engine is an example of how to improve discoverability. Discoverability is related to, but different from, accessibility and usability, other qualities that affect the usefulness of a piece of information. Discoverability is the degree to which of something, especially a piece of content or information, can be found in a search of a file, database, or other information system. Discoverability is a concern in library and information science, many aspects of digital media, software and web development, and in marketing, since something (e.g., a website, product, service, etc.) cannot be used if people cannot find it or do not understand what it can be used for. Metadata, or 'information about information,' such as a book's title, a product's description, or a website's keywords, affects how discoverable something is on a database or online. In the 2010s, adding metadata to a product that is available online can make it easier for end users to find the product. For example, if a song file is made available online, making the title, name of the band, genre, year of release, and other pertinent information available in connection with this song file will make it easier for users to find this song file. Organizing information by putting it into alphabetical order or including it in a search engine is an example of how to improve discoverability. Discoverability is related to, but different from, accessibility and usability, other qualities that affect the usefulness of a piece of information. The concept of 'discoverability' in an information science and online context is a loose borrowing from the concept of the similar name in the legal profession. In law, 'discovery' is a pre-trial procedure in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the other party or parties by means of discovery devices such as a request for answers to interrogatories, request for production of documents, request for admissions and depositions. Discovery can be obtained from non-parties using subpoenas. When a discovery request is objected to, the requesting party may seek the assistance of the court by filing a motion to compel discovery. The usability of any piece of information directly relates to how discoverable it is, either in a 'walled garden' database or on the open Internet. The quality of information available on this database or on the Internet depends upon the quality of the meta-information about each item, product, or service. In the case of a service, because of the emphasis placed on service reusability, opportunities should exist for reuse of this service. However, reuse is only possible if information is discoverable in the first place. To make items, products, and services discoverable, the following set of activities need to be performed: Regarding number 2, storing the information in a searchable repository: while technically a human-searchable repository, such as a printed paper list would qualify, in the 2010s, 'searchable repository' is usually taken to mean a computer-searchable repository, such as a database that a human user can search using some type of search engine or 'find' feature. Number 3 further supports this analysis of number 2, because while reading through a printed paper list by hand might be feasible in a theoretical sense, it is not time and cost-efficient in comparison with computer-based searching. Apart from increasing the reuse potential of the services, discoverability is also required to avoid development of solution logic that is already contained in an existing service. To design services that are not only discoverable but also provide interpretable information about their capabilities, the service discoverability principle provides guidelines that could be applied during the service-oriented analysis phase of the service delivery process. In relation to audiovisual content, according to the meaning given by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the purpose of its 2016 Discoverability Summit, discoverability can be summed up to the intrinsic ability of given content to 'stand out of the lot', or to position itself so as to be easily found and discovered. A piece of audiovisual content can be a movie, a TV series, music, a book (eBook), an audio book or podcast. When audiovisual content such as a digital file for a TV show, movie, or song, is made available online, if the content is 'tagged' with identifying information such as the names of the key artists (e.g., actors, directors and screenwriters for TV shows and movies; singers, musicians and record producers for songs) and the genres (e.g., for movies genres such as action, drama or comedy; for songs, genres such as heavy metal music, hip hop music, etc.), this makes it easier for end users to find the content they are interested in. In the 2010s, when users interact with online content, algorithms typically determine what types of content the user is interested in, and then a computer program suggests 'more like this', which is other content that the user may be interested in. Different websites and systems have different algorithms, but one approach, used by Amazon for its online store, is to indicate to a user, once the user searches for or looks at content/product x that 'other users who purchased x also purchased the following items'. This example is oriented around online purchasing behaviour, but an algorithm could also be programmed to provide suggestions based on other factors (e.g., searching, viewing, etc.). In the 2010s, discoverability is typically referred to in connection with search engines. A highly 'discoverable' piece of content (e.g., a certain movie) would be a movie that appears at the top, or near the top of a user's search results. A related concept is the role of 'recommendation engines', which are computer programs which give a user recommendations based on his/her online activity. In the 2010s, 'discoverabilty' applies to desktop and laptop computers and do the increasingly widening range of devices that can access the Internet, including various console video game systems and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. When organizations make an effort to promote certain content (e.g., a TV show, film, song, or video game), they can use 'traditional marketing' (billboards, TV ads, radio ads) and digital ads (pop-up ads, pre-roll ads, etc.), or a mix of traditional and digital marketing. Even before the user’s intervention by searching for a certain content or type of content, discoverability is the prime factor which contributes to whether a piece of audiovisual content will be likely to be found in the various digital modes of content consumption. As of 2017, modes of searching include looking on Netflix for movies, Spotify for music, Audible for audio books, etc., although the concept can also more generally be applied to content found on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and other websites. It involves more than a content’s mere presence on a given platform; it can involve associating this content with 'keywords' (tags), search algorithms, positioning within different categories, metadata, etc. Thus, discoverability enables as much as it promotes. For audiovisual content broadcast or streamed on digital media using the Internet, discoverability includes the underlying concepts of information science and programming architecture, which are at the very foundation of the search for a specific product, information or content.