Understanding the Query
Understanding the query is the first step in evaluating the task. Remember, a query is what a user types or speaks into a mobile phone.
If you don’t understand the query or user intent, do web research using the Google search engine or an online dictionary or encyclopedia. If you still don’t understand the query or user intent, please release the task.
Important: If you research the query on Google, please do not rely on the top results on the SERP. A query may have other meanings not represented on Google’s search results pages. Do not assign a high rating to a webpage just because it appears at the top of a list of search results on Google.
Think about users in your locale typing or speaking the following queries into their phone.
Query |
Likely User Intent |
[population of paris], English (US) |
Find the current population of Paris, France. |
[starbucks near me], English (US) |
Find the nearest Starbucks location. |
[weather], English (US) |
Find weather information in the user location right now. |
[call mom], English (US) |
Call/dial the number stored for the contact “Mom” on the device. |
Task Location (Locale) and User Location
All queries have a task language and task location (locale). The locale is important for understanding the query and user intent. Users in different locations may have different expectations for the same query. Each rating task will show you the User Location information: some tasks have an approximate user location area and some tasks have a very specific user location.
For many or most queries, the user location does not change our understanding of the query and user intent. Here are some examples: [facebook.com], [pictures of kittens], [distance between the earth and the moon], [call mom]. If the task does not display a user location, please evaluate it as a query where the location does not matter and use your judgment.
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When is the user location important in understanding query interpretation and user intent? Please use both web research and your personal judgment to answer this question. Ask yourself, “Would users in one city or country be looking for something different than users in another city or country?”
Queries with an Explicit Location
Sometimes users tell search engines exactly what kinds of results they are looking for by adding the desired location in the query, regardless of their user location. We'll call this location inside the query the “explicit location.” The explicit location makes queries much easier to understand and interpret.
Sometimes the explicit location matches the user location or locale, and sometimes it doesn't.
When there is an explicit location in the query, pay attention to it! Users use explicit locations to indicate exactly what they are looking for.
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