The analysis and summary of the scheme design of search application in station

I for the Ginkgo station search service provider to do product consultant during the more than 10 sites in the site search application design, a few analysis and summary.

first, in-site search Applications

Site search applications have been more and more attention, in the past for technical costs and content scale reasons, we use public applications to do this thing, or simply not. But now the money, the information and the type of the difference and a few years ago is not at all a level, there are more and more sites on site search has a great dependence.

For classification information, E-commerce, reviews class, video and resource station, site Search application is simply Song.

For the professional domain portal, integrated Community Web site, as well as new interactive application sites, site Search also plays an important role, pull up activity and flow, improve the overall information quality of the site.

In-site search application is divided into 2 parts. Search for portals and search results pages .

1. The design principle of the global search portal

• using a conspicuous design, the whole station is unified in style and location . The location is usually centered or right at the first screen.

  
  

• prompt text should be in the search box. (for example: Please enter the keyword ...) or keyword, category, url ... To visually identify the function of the input box or to suggest a viable operation.
• focus function. when the page is initialized and the input input box loses focus, the prompt text is displayed, and the text is removed when the mouse focuses the search box. (Do not use the text box defaults, we have in the customer's statistics found thousands of keywords each day, "Please enter the keyword" Search request, waste resources. Don't use background pictures-_-!!! ）
• The input Word intelligence (fuzzy) matching hint (search suggest), which has recently become standard. Originally this feature was used to help with spelling in the Latin Web site, now developed to be linked to the trend through the search requests in this site, the intelligent prompt search term can in a sense lead users to focus and popular search, get more effective results, and expand the relevance of the search.
  
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2. Classification search and search results classification

Many sites place a category search Drop-down menu (SELECT) in the global search entry.

• Benefits: For universal search and Web sites with complex information types, it can help skilled users search for precise targets and reduce clicks.
• Disadvantage 1: According to our Master of various types of site search log results analysis, the use of this category dropdown is very low, less than 2%.
• Downside 2: Internet users ' search habits are developed by the general search engine--enter keywords directly. Users always enter the keyword directly, unless found that the results can not find, will return to find and use the category search Drop-down, so that the design has become an anti-user.

Many designers have mixed the 2 concepts of " category search " and " search results Classification ".

Category search: for different information data categories, search requirements are mutually exclusive, the search results of the classification search does not exist between the intersection.

Search Results Category: for different content types, a search needs by different dimensions of the two-level classification or filtering, search requirements are consistent or accommodating, there may be intersection between the results.

We take the Watercress category Drop-down menu for example:

Books/movies/music are all part of the content type (and the prompts for the input boxes are homogeneous). They are the differences between search results classifications.

Content and groups, members, activities are of the same level type. They are the difference between classified searches.

Users search "Twilight City", users will not be excluded in the results of the "Twilight" of the film category, books, audio music class information, are the content of the search requirements. However, group/activity/member type search results may be excluded. If you want to search for a group and want to search for activities that are completely different needs , a user who wants to search for information about a book simply does not want to see the discussion in the group.
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Then look at Taobao's Global search Portal:

Treasures, shops, inquiries are different search requirements, they are classified search differences.

Shopping malls, auctions, global purchases and treasures belong to the same content type, the search needs are consistent, and the information structure is a parent-child relationship. They also belong to the search results category .
Do these 3 classifications have the need for separate search existence, have you used these 3 categories?

Some of the following methods and principles for designing search portals:

• avoid excessive design. for search purposes or for a single content type site, it is not necessary to place classified search dropdown. such as professional video site, catering reviews site and so on
  This is a professional video site, as you can see from Figure 1 and Figure 2, although the category search in the selected video and album of these 2 categories, but when the selection of video classification to search, or in the first line of the output of the album Class search results.

• sort the search results into where it's supposed to go--The search results page goes through the search results page through a uniform search entry, which allows users to understand the distribution of search results and filter the categories they want.
  This design can clearly display information structure, information scale, help users clear search purposes, accurate screening.

  1 Simplification Processing: Place the universal search entrance on the global page, without the category dropdown. Also set up a single class search entry on the channel page.	2 complication Processing: Placing the Advanced Search toolbox on the homepage (Do not replace the universal search box!) ）

• Avoid the design of mutual exclusion between multiple classified searches as far as possible
  Have you ever entered a store name directly in Taobao's input box without any valid results?
• Use the tab Manu (tab) instead of the Drop-down menu.
  Which of the following ways are you more accustomed to?

• Some classification options can be better represented by advanced search options instead of using filters in advanced search here.
• Processing when a search condition with multiple dimensions is required to be positioned
  

  Compare the design of both, stand out.

3. Global search results and categorized search results

When a Web site has both a global search portal and a single class search portal. A problem arises: a single search can produce a single, accurate search result, and the results page from a global search is a mixture of multiple single types of search. How do you handle this mix and effectively guide users to get the information they want?

1 easiest way: Mixed row + category label.

2 Gorgeous methods: Split-block display. (large pressure on the server, the partition block search will form multiple requests)

The partition block display should be based on the site's own product characteristics and content focus to arrange,

Can not be divided into detail, all types are listed evenly. Multiple information equals no information.

Second, search results page layout

1. Common function Module

Click the small picture to show the big picture

The image above is intended to demonstrate all the design demos of the universal functional modules. It is not recommended to design products like this, users will not use so many functions, excessive design will lead to development costs and the user's learning costs greatly increased, but also make the page messy.

The appropriate modules should be designed according to the resources, advantages, types and purposes of the respective websites. See below for this point

2. Layout issues

Let's take a look at 2 cases.

Above is a 4-column ticket search results page, and the Middle 2 column is a round-trip search result. The information density is too high, the page is crowded, the user is looking for the result which oneself needs, the line of sight will continuously be disturbed. In the left column of the vertical placement of the screening function block, location and height caused the user's normal use of the flow is disrupted, the most right recommendation and advertising area is also difficult to attract users to read and click,

Above is the 2-column ticket search page. The layout of the page is loose and the information density distributes normally. The Date tab Manu, the filter ribbon, and the distribution and sorting of the search results area are consistent with the user process. The recommended information area on the right is also easy to attract users.

The layout principle of the search results page is concise, focused and purposeful. Cannot distract users from capturing search results.

Here are some design suggestions

• use a two-column layout . The Content-type search proposal is 37 open, don't let the search result content area too wide, affect the reading experience.
• eliminate extraneous elements , for the site unified layout of announcements, recommendations, advertising, ranking and other elements, should be cut off. The clearer the layout, the less the interference elements, the easier the user can achieve the purpose of use.
• The primary search box position is centered above the global (or main content area) . In the search results page, the search box does not have to be unified with the overall design, indented in one corner.
• handles hierarchical relationships between multiple search boxes (in the presence of both the main search box and the Single class search box/Advanced search Toolbox).
• information density should not be too high. Do not attempt to list all the information elements in the search results.
• selection, sorting and other functional areas to pay attention to product logic and distribution levels . Many designers do not have the logical and structural meaning to deal with multiple dimensions of information, making the page appear to have a 4~5 layer of horizontal navigation.
  

  Are you dazzled by this pile of tabs?

• use the appropriate display mode for search results , depending on the content properties. (picture, thumbnail + content, content list, table, content + table, etc.)
• The design of normal search results and promotional search results (bidding or advertising) should be clearly differentiated so that users can easily distinguish between the two.
• Match keywords in search results should be highlighted .