The experiences of novice users (freshman students at Ohio University) searching OCLC's FIRSTSEARCH set of databases were studied. The 13 subjects were asked to complete a search on the FIRSTSEARCH databases; and data were collected through observations, administration of a questionnaire, and a thinking-aloud protocol. Data were analyzed to describe and categorize the subjects' experiences with the user interface. Results indicate that the novice user found the FIRSTSEARCH system user-friendly, with an average approval rating of seven out of nine on the Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction (QUIS) developed at the University of Maryland to measure human-computer interaction. Eight tables present study findings. Two appendixes contain the script for recruiting volunteers and a transcript of the search observations. (Contains 21 references.) (SLD)