Article Idea:
Search Behavior Patterns
suggested by John Ferrara on 2007/07/08
Users vary widely in how they use a website’s search results, but a few behavior patterns are observable across populations. This article will survey some such patterns observed in user testing, in each case identifying interface affordances users need for their tactics to work.
I’ll advocate the design philosophy that you can’t change the way the user wants to work, so it’s better to make the website work in whatever way the user wants to work. I also plan to find a way to phrase that philosophy that isn’t quite so confusing.
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laurie kalmanson
14 Reputation points
Posted 2007/08/20 @ 08:06AM with
i tend to go for simple rules over complex theories, and usually offer these solutions when search is the issue:
—redundancy and repetition are ok
—offer users multiple paths
—bring on the faceted search if you need it
—offer “shop windows” as content (highlighted, focused default choices) so people who don’t know what they’re looking for until they find it can get what they need