[IxDA Discuss] searching within browse

[Josh Viney]

A usability test seems like a great answer. There's nothing like data to
help answer a question like this. Doing some good qualitative research could
definitely provide insight into where people get confused and what their
expectations are.

If I recall the original question had to do with the best way to handle
searching within a category-like drill-down navigation where the site has
dedicated search and browse sections. When looking at combining the
functionality, would a better question be: "what is the fastest and surest
way for users of the site to find what they want"?

- Josh

On 11/3/06, Miguel Gonzalez <maglez at btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> material.]
>
> Yes me too, but I am a power user as most of us on this forum.
>
> I guess that the best thing to do is to run an usability test, take a
> bunch of your real final
> users and put then through the interface to find out the answer. You don't
> even need to build up a
> prototype, you could use that same web site.
>
> Another way could be by searching for some publication from some team that
> already have ran this
> usability test.
>
> Maglez.
>
>
>
> --- Sebi Tauciuc <stauciuc at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> material.]
> >
> > I like it. I wonder if it's because I'm a power user or because it's a
> good
> > model or both.
> >
> > Sebi
> >
> > On 11/2/06, bobby nath : * <bobbynath at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > > material.]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ..:
> > >
> > >
> > > Hmm... not quite what I was thinking.
> > > Here's an example that comes to mind:
> > > Check out http://shopping.comcast.net/search_attrib.php/page_id=87(which
> > > should be home > electronics > audio components > cd changers)
> > >
> > > - Click "Denon" in the left hand column.  Notice a dashboard labeled
> > > "Selected Filters" is instantiated in the left column, and an option
> to
> > > remove the refinement variable of "Denon" is provided.
> > > - Now, search for the term "5 disc" using the default dropdown option
> of
> > > "search current results".  Observe that the context has persisted; the
> > > only
> > > difference is that the search term has been applied as an additional
> > > filter
> > > over the previous set of results.  It, like "Denon", can now be
> > > browsed/searched within, and removed as a constraint... if so desired.
> > > - Select "Carousel" under "Disc Mechanism" in the left column.  Your
> > > results
> > > should reduce to 1 (as the parenthetical binning implied).
> > > - Now, delete the search term from the "Selected Filters" block, and
> you
> > > will expand your results by three.
> > >
> > > This is (part of) the power of multi-dimensional navigation and
> offering
> > > search/browse as synergistic mechanisms for result refinement, rather
> than
> > > isolating them as two disparate systems.
> > >
> > > 8 :*
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > --
> > Sergiu Sebastian Tauciuc
> > http://www.sergiutauciuc.ro/en/
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> > List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> > (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> > Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> > Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> > Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> > Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
> >
>
> ________________________________________________________________
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
>