Searching for Dermatology Information Online using Images vs Text: a Randomized Study

BackgroundSkin conditions are extremely common worldwide, and are an important cause of both anxiety and morbidity. Since the advent of the internet, individuals have used text-based search (eg, "red rash on arm") to learn more about concerns on their skin, but this process is often hindered by the inability to accurately describe the lesions morphology. In the study, we surveyed respondents experiences with an image-based search, compared to the traditional text-based search experience. MethodsAn internet-based survey was conducted to evaluate the experience of text-based vs image-based search for skin conditions. We recruited respondents from an existing cohort of volunteers in a commercial survey panel; survey respondents that met inclusion/exclusion criteria, including willingness to take photos of a visible concern on their body, were enrolled. Respondents were asked to use the Google mobile app to conduct both regular text-based search (Google Search) and image-based search (Google Lens) for their concern, with the order of text vs. image search randomized. Satisfaction for each search experience along six different dimensions were recorded and compared, and respondents preferences for the different search types along these same six dimensions were recorded. Results372 respondents were enrolled in the study, with 44% self-identifying as women, 86% as White and 41% over age 45. The rate of respondents who were at least moderately familiar with searching for skin conditions using text-based search versus image-based search were 81.5% and 63.5%, respectively. After using both search modalities, respondents were highly satisfied with both image-based and text-based search, with >90% at least somewhat satisfied in each dimension and no significant differences seen between text-based and image-based search when examining the responses on an absolute scale per search modality. When asked to directly rate their preferences in a comparative way, survey respondents preferred image-based search over text-based search in 5 out of 6 dimensions, with an absolute 9.9% more preferring image-based search over text-based search overall (p=0.004). 82.5% (95% CI 78.2 - 86.3) reported a preference to leverage image-based search (alone or in combination with text-based search) in future searches. Of those who would prefer to use a combination of both, 64% indicated they would like to start with image-based search, indicating that image-based search may be the preferred entry point for skin-related searches. ConclusionDespite being less familiar with image-based search upon study inception, survey respondents generally preferred image-based search to text-based search and overwhelmingly wanted to include this in future searches. These results suggest the potential for image-based search to play a key role in people searching for information regarding skin concerns.