User:JDrewniak (WMF)/notes/SERP Design Research

This page contains design research on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) on the internets. The purpose of this page is to catalog existing UI patterns, gain an understanding of user expectations & UX on these pages, and inform our own design decisions.

The Search Box
A text input field accompanied by a submit button. Search boxes are usually comprised of at least two elements (input + button) but they are conceptually treated as a single unit, and can provide multiple features.

Search Box Features: Search queries themselves often contain special search operators that act as filtering mechanisms.
 * search suggestions
 * search query autocompletion
 * Language picker / Primary Search Filter
 * Placeholder text

Search Control
Most search engines offer a way to adjust or filter search results, beyond the query text iteself. The ability to filter or sort search results is called faceted search.

Seach Control Mechanisms
 * "Sort by" options
 * Filter Bar (top-bar or side-bar)
 * Layout options (grid vs list)