1 00:00:00,472 --> 00:00:02,800 All right, so we've got organization structures and 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,320 schemes, labeling systems, and navigation systems. 3 00:00:07,438 --> 00:00:11,180 These three iA principles help explain how content gets structured and 4 00:00:11,180 --> 00:00:13,620 presented on websites and apps. 5 00:00:13,620 --> 00:00:17,790 Each aspect helps establish an architecture that's easy to use and 6 00:00:17,790 --> 00:00:18,920 understand. 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,360 But there are cases where menus and links aren't enough. 8 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,740 Think about all the products Amazon offers on its site. 9 00:00:26,740 --> 00:00:31,560 You could theoretically navigate from the home page, through their menu system, 10 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:36,100 drill down through subcategories, and maybe find what you need. 11 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:37,680 But the more realistic and 12 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:42,860 faster option is to type in what you want in the search box. 13 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:47,272 Search systems are the fourth and final is IA principle that Morville and 14 00:00:47,272 --> 00:00:49,234 Rosenfeld cover in their book. 15 00:00:49,234 --> 00:00:53,367 And if you've ever used Google or Siri or Alexa in your life, 16 00:00:53,367 --> 00:00:55,915 you know what a search system is for. 17 00:00:55,915 --> 00:01:01,420 It's so users can find what they want using their own criteria. 18 00:01:01,420 --> 00:01:05,180 Sometimes the search they wanna do is exact, like looking for 19 00:01:05,180 --> 00:01:10,480 a specific replacement light bulb for a 2011 Honda CRV. 20 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:15,220 You already know exactly what you want, you just need to find a page so 21 00:01:15,220 --> 00:01:15,960 you can order one. 22 00:01:16,970 --> 00:01:19,720 Other times, your search may be more broad. 23 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,553 You have a general idea of what you want, so 24 00:01:22,553 --> 00:01:25,480 you use general terms that get you started. 25 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,519 And then you look through results and 26 00:01:27,519 --> 00:01:31,070 maybe refine your search to get what you need. 27 00:01:31,070 --> 00:01:35,700 Another way that search systems work is through filtering with certain 28 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:36,941 kinds of content. 29 00:01:36,941 --> 00:01:40,869 You search by filtering the attributes that are important to you, 30 00:01:40,869 --> 00:01:45,520 like the details of an airline flight or the specifications of a car. 31 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,240 The more attributes something has, the easier it can be to filter through 32 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,010 thousands or millions of pieces of content to find the perfect thing. 33 00:01:55,210 --> 00:01:57,680 Search systems can be very powerful. 34 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,500 When you've got a vast database full of content or product pages, 35 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:06,490 searches help users find exactly what they want using a process that's much more 36 00:02:06,490 --> 00:02:11,590 efficient than trying to drill down through multiple menus, links, or pages. 37 00:02:11,590 --> 00:02:16,270 And if your search system provides helpful, dynamic features like 38 00:02:16,270 --> 00:02:20,970 auto complete or suggestions, it can make the user experience much more positive. 39 00:02:22,010 --> 00:02:26,410 But for people running a site or app, search systems can be challenging. 40 00:02:26,410 --> 00:02:29,290 There's a big difference between building a menu and 41 00:02:29,290 --> 00:02:31,150 building your own search system. 42 00:02:31,150 --> 00:02:36,610 You have to figure out, what parts of the site do you want to let people search? 43 00:02:36,610 --> 00:02:40,610 How many fields do you want to include within your search form? 44 00:02:40,610 --> 00:02:43,144 Do you wanna let users filter results? 45 00:02:43,144 --> 00:02:47,160 And if so, which attributes will you let them filter? 46 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,900 And how should results get sorted? 47 00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:54,030 By relevance, dates, popularity or some other variable? 48 00:02:55,288 --> 00:02:57,720 Now you could skip the whole development headache and 49 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:02,940 try to use a simpler custom search solution from Google on your site, but 50 00:03:02,940 --> 00:03:07,870 the question still remains, should you use a search system or not? 51 00:03:07,870 --> 00:03:10,932 Many smaller websites would probably say no. 52 00:03:10,932 --> 00:03:13,630 They can get along fine without one because they don't have 53 00:03:13,630 --> 00:03:15,360 an extensive amount of content. 54 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,820 And their content format is pretty simple. 55 00:03:18,820 --> 00:03:22,440 However, if you're responsible for providing access to information that's 56 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,210 very complex, that has many attributes that help define it, or 57 00:03:27,210 --> 00:03:31,490 you simply have a ton of content, search systems can save the day. 58 00:03:31,490 --> 00:03:34,750 But don't use search as a crutch or as a replacement for 59 00:03:34,750 --> 00:03:37,960 menus and proper content organization. 60 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,590 You need a balance. 61 00:03:39,590 --> 00:03:42,950 You need to consider that not all users are the same. 62 00:03:42,950 --> 00:03:44,900 Some will rely on menus and 63 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:49,570 links to show them the way, while others might head straight for the search box. 64 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:56,010 Consider the experience for your users and their goals. 65 00:03:56,010 --> 00:03:57,650 Why did they come to your site? 66 00:03:57,650 --> 00:03:59,080 What are they trying to do? 67 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:00,480 What are they looking for? 68 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,470 And what would be the easiest way for them to find it? 69 00:04:04,470 --> 00:04:07,830 Ultimately, the answer may be a series of menus and 70 00:04:07,830 --> 00:04:11,770 links, or it could be through a search system, or both. 71 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,830 Later in this course, we'll learn more about using research and 72 00:04:16,830 --> 00:04:22,581 testing techniques to help you figure out what's best for your users and your site.