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

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

The Search Box
A text input field accompanied by a submit button. Search boxes are usually made up 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 Box Best Practices
...

Search Control
Most search engines offer a way to adjust or filter search results, beyond the query text iteself. The ability to filter, sort or otherwise adjust the search results is generally called faceted search, but to avoid jargony words, this function will be referred as search control.

Search Control Mechanisms Search control mechanism vary widely across search engines.
 * "Sort by" options
 * Layout options (grid vs. list)
 * Links to "search verticals" (search verticals are specific content categories like images/vidoes/news/books etc)
 * Filter bar (top-bar or side-bar)
 * Advanced search options

Search Box Best Practices
Improve sort-by quality by narrowing results: http://kalmstrom.com/Tips/SharePoint-Online-Course/SharePoint-Search-Vertical.htm