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Search

If a site requires the implementation of site-search facilities, a user should be able to easily access the search pages from wherever she is within the structure. More than 50% of users use search functions to find information before trying to locate it themselves, by browsing the site. Other visitors try the navigation to access certain information and use search facilities only if they are not successful in their quest.
A designer cannot know on which page the user will choose to search for an item rather than continue browsing for it. To make sure a user does not end up searching for the 'search' button, placing it onto every page, consistent in its location and easily noticeable, makes it far easier for the user to change her mind at any time.
The structure of a search page should be simple and logical to make searches easy for different user groups, be they novices or professionals. Offering simple as well as advanced search functionality meets most users' requirements.

For a user, it should be clear whether she can limit the search to include specific topics only or whether the search covers the whole scope. A helpful addition is a browse function, displaying a list of all available areas to search in.

The input field for the search should also have a submit button located next to it. Labelling this button appropriately is important. A button labelled 'search' or 'go' is self-explanatory, whereas buttons labelled 'access' or 'quick' may require additional instructions.

Some online shops like Amazon allow users to search for book titles, authors or ISBN numbers. These advanced options use special filters to allow users very specific searches. Implementing flexible searches like these into a corporate or e-commerce site allows for fast and efficient retrieval of data.

One of the most difficult tasks when implementing search engines is the design of the search result pages. Structuring these in a meaningful way is difficult due to the number of possible hits and the variety of searches a user can ask for.

In case the search results are insufficient or do not return any matches, the result page should always allow the user to re-run their query using the same interface as in the previously used search page. The user should also have the option to either run a more specific query on the results returned or start over with new search criteria.

Short descriptions of each search result but also general information like the number of results returned are important to make orientation easier for the user. Offering direct links to help pages also helps viewers who are not too familiar with search engines. The following guidelines list ways to ensure an efficient search:

• Search results should appear in a sorted order, such as alphabetically, chronologically, or by relevance in descending order.
• Search results should be unique. Listing the same page more than once can easily confuse users.
• The title of the result should always reflect the content (file names like 025478.htm should be avoided).
• A short but descriptive summary of the result should be shown.
• The user should be able to define how many search results will be displayed on each result-page before starting the search.