Being knowledgeable enough about your matters enables you to function effectively. But human minds are not as good as how bots and machines work. Instances like creative blocks happen— when one’s thinking gets affected and the search for something begins.
Same with how technology introduces a searching behavior. Users, instead of being a consumer, becomes the one consumed by the influence of the internet. Whenever a person gets hooked on it, having the urge to buy something from a sale or promo, book a hotel or flight, or aggressively look for an item online, has proved this searching routine. Thus, knowing and managing the factors might help in increasing the chances of hassle-free browsing, such as narrowing your searches down through search filters and advanced searching.
The Usability of Search Filters
Search Filter is probably one of the most common features that people use. The search engine interface covers search filters that let people specify their inputs based on different categories. Search engines like Google and Bing allow their users to customize their search through some tools found on the search menu. Users can choose between images, news, shopping, work, and a variety of result types. The time period and region of a specific input can be customized too. Electronic commerce companies such as Amazon, Lazada, and Shopee interfaces also have the search filter feature that allows narrowing search inputs. Some of the filters available on eCommerce platforms are the brand, condition, material, and price range, depending and based on the searched item. Whereas Linkedin, a social networking site also uses search filters to reduce unwanted results. Linkedin filters depend on the category that the user has chosen. Some examples are the job type, location, relevance, and experience level under the job category, while for learning category, level, type, duration, and software to be used filters are shown.
Narrowing Searches through Advanced Searching
Advanced searching allows its users to refine results that they may get. Filling up query fields or by using operators on the search bar lets user experience be obtained.
Search engines like Google have the advanced searching feature through the search bar, with the use of operators. This works by using symbols like a currency ($), a hashtag (#), an at-sign (@), and other symbols related to your input instead of writing a whole sentence with unspecified queries. Yahoo! Search, on the other hand, allows its user to experience hassle-free browsing with the help of its pleasing user interface. Several fields ask for the exact words and phrases that a user is looking for and not a specific site or domain, file format, and languages. Social media platforms like Twitter use advanced searching as well. It assists in limiting the search scope, including the specific words and phrases, language, preferred account, filters, engagements, and date of the input query.
Less Is More
Seeing through the art of a typical user—one would want a website that provides his/her needs in an instant. He/She doesn’t want the screen to be filled with unnecessary items that are not much leading him to his goal or task. The key to this is to lessen the visual elements that make the user exit the site and open a new tab for a fresher start. Although this is a case-to-case scenario, it is safer to make internet searching as flawless and seamless as possible. Having a clean interface makes clear interaction and communication between the internet and the user.
Making the utmost use of technology should be a practical skill that every netizen should possess, and minimalism is one. It does not only apply to the art movement but internet searching as well. Being mindful of online activities or netiquette can improve people’s lives in many ways as much as technology does.
Conclusion
This boils down to how the internet, together with technology, built a whole new dimension for consumers—now identified as end-users. In every internet searching strategy that UX UI design agencies use, their utmost goal is always about keeping the users in-tact to their needs and convenience. But, at the end of the day, it should be the users who are controlling their search journey—they should not be the ones being controlled by their devices.
If you are in search of a reliable partner in the industry of website or mobile application development and/or UX research, USER could help you out on your business ventures to help the nation be transformed on a positive manner. Contact us now!
