Introduction

Inherent in the concept of interactive information retrieval is the notion that we interact with some search user interface (SUI) beyond the submission of an initial query. Perhaps the most familiar SUI to many is the streamlined experience provided by Google, but many more exist in online retail, digital archives, within-website (vertical) search, legal records and elsewhere. Amazon, for example, provides a multitude of different features that together make a flexible, interactive and highly suitable gateway between users and products.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a framework for thinking about the elements that make up different SUI designs, taking into account when and where they are typically used.

Search: the way we usually see it

The SUI that many people now see daily is Google, and Figure 8.1 overleaf shows the 14 notable SUI features it provides for users on its search engine results page (SERP). The most common feature searchers expect to see is the query box (#1 in Figure 8.1), which in Google provides a maintained context so that the query can easily be edited or changed without going to the previous page. Searchers are free to enter whatever they like, including special operators that imply specific phrases or make sure certain words are not included. The second most obvious feature is the display of results (#2), which is usually ordered by how relevant they are to the search terms. Results typically highlight how they relate to the search terms by showing parts in bold font. Users are typically able to view additional results using the pagination control (#3).

We also see many control and modifier SUI features. Google provides fixed options across the top (#4) and relevant options down the left (#5) for specializing the search towards certain types of results. Further, Google allows users to restrict their results (#6), or change how they are shown (#7). It is typical for search engines to provide an advanced search to help define searches more specifically (#8). Finally, most search engines provide recommendations for related queries (#9).