Abstract

Abstract Although a Web search is typically regarded as a solitary activity, collaborative search approaches are becoming an increasingly relevant topic for HCI and distributed user interfaces (DUIs). Today’s collaborative search systems lack comprehensive search support that also involves pre- or post-search activities such as preparing for a search or making sense of search results. We believe that post-WIMP DUIs can help to better support social searches and have identified four design goals that are critical for their successful design. In consequence, we present TwisterSearch, an interactive DUI prototype that meets our four design goals. A formative study conducted with students at a high school shows its general applicability for educational purposes. In the recent years, research in HCI has increasingly focused on collaborative searches [1–6]. Collaborative search approaches can support activities and decision making such as planning travel, purchasing products, or searching for literature and could become important tools for users ’ information practice in future. Consequen-