Search User Interfaces

by Marti A. Hearst

This book focuses on the human users of search engines and the tool they use to interact with them: the search user interface. The truly worldwide reach of the Web has brought with it a new realization among computer scientists and laypeople of the enormous importance of usability and user interface design. In the last ten years, much has become understood about what works in search interfaces from a usability perspective, and what does not. Researchers and practitioners have developed a wide range of innovative interface ideas, but only the most broadly acceptable make their way into major web search engines. This book summarizes these developments, presenting the state of the art of search interface design, both in academic research and in deployment in commercial systems. Many books describe the algorithms behind search engines and information retrieval systems, but the unique focus of this book is specifically on the user interface. It will be welcomed by industry professionals who design systems that use search interfaces as well as graduate students and academic researchers who investigate information systems.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Reference

404 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Laurian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great book. I think anyone who has an interface where search is a used component should take a look and at least read the first half of the book with a fine toothed comb. As you can guess from the previous statement, the first half of the book is very strong and focused. The later half starts to get into more research and specialized topics that aren't going to be as useful for the general UX/HCI person.

[Nadya Tsech · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came out in 2009, but is still surprisingly relevant. It is also well-structured. If you’re looking for best practices in search design, reading the first chapter is enough. The following chapters describe the studies and experiments behind these practices.

I’d recommend the first chapter of this book to anyone who is currently designing a search interface.

I used this book as a source for the article . Search interface: 20 things to consider

[Manav Rathod · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decently interesting book that taught me about design principles and running design studies. However, it was a bit dull and dry at times, which made it hard to read. A lot of the book was just merely summarizing a bunch of different studies, which is hard to take in fully, but useful things to remember if you want to design a search user interface.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little dated at this point. This read more like a survey of what everyone else was doing circa 2007 rather than any insights into search engine interface advances. In this area the market moves very quickly so being four years old is ancient. I didn't really get anything out of it.