Implicit information need as explicit problems, help, and behavioral signals

•The amount of time spent on previous search results could be an indicator of potential problems in articulation of needs into queries, perceiving useless results, and not getting useful sources in the following search stage in an information search process.•While performing social tasks, users mostly searched with an entirely new query, whereas, for cognitive and moderate to high complexity tasks, users used both new and substituted queries as well.•From users’ search behaviors, it is possible to predict the potential problem that they are going to face in the future.•User’s search behaviors can map an information searcher’s situational need, along with his/her perception of barriers and helps in different stages of an information search process.•By combining perceived problem(s) and search behavioral features, it is possible to infer users’ needed help(s) in search with a certain level of accuracy (78%).