Because “Websites Tend to Grow Over Time”
Smashing Magazine did a very nice showcase on designing search boxes last month. You might think the search box is a pretty straightforward affair. Sometimes it is, but maybe it shouldn’t be considering many people prefer using the search box to drill down for specific information, particularly on content heavy sites.
The article sums up the need for intuitive search box design quite well:
In practice, websites tend to grow over time, adding new content and, more importantly for us, adding new navigation options, such as additional content sections. However, these new content islands do not necessarily fit the whole information architecture that was well-designed and thoroughly structured when the website was initially designed.
Enter the search box, and we begin to separate the wheat from the chaff:
The box must be clearly visible, quickly recognizable and easy to use. One may think that the search box doesn’t need a design; after all, it’s just two simple elements: an input field and submit button. How much harm could a poor design do? Well, there are a number of things that can go wrong; for instance, the text displayed in the input field may be hard to read, or the input field may be too short or too long…Some designers even prefer a minimalist solution and don’t provide a submit button at all: the “Return” key has to be used instead.
Consider it the designer’s challenge…how to avoid reinventing this wheel.
Tags: web design
