There is a growing demand for transparency in search engines to understand how search results are curated and to enhance users' trust. Prior research has introduced search result explanations with a focus on how to explain, assuming explanations are beneficial. Our study takes a step back to examine if search explanations are needed and when they are likely to provide benefits. Additionally, we summarize key characteristics of helpful explanations and share users' perspectives on explanation features provided by Google and Bing. Interviews with non-technical individuals reveal that users do not always seek or understand search explanations and mostly desire them for complex and critical tasks. They find Google's search explanations too obvious but appreciate the ability to contest search results. Based on our findings, we offer design recommendations for search engines and explanations to help users better evaluate search results and enhance their search experience.

翻译：搜索引擎透明度日益受到关注，用户期望理解搜索结果筛选机制以提升信任度。现有研究聚焦于如何提供搜索结果解释，假设解释具有积极作用。本研究则后退一步，探讨用户是否需要搜索解释及其在何种情境下能带来实际效益。同时，我们归纳了有效解释的关键特征，并分享了用户对谷歌与必应解释功能的主观评价。对非技术背景用户的访谈显示：用户并非始终需要或理解搜索解释，其需求主要集中于复杂和关键任务场景。用户认为谷歌的搜索解释过于浅显，但对其允许质疑搜索结果的功能表示认可。基于研究发现，我们为搜索引擎与解释机制提出设计建议，以帮助用户更有效地评估搜索结果并优化搜索体验。