Step 03 of 07
Search
Where shoppers say what they want.
A search is the clearest statement of intent a shopper makes, and whether the results match their words, and in what order they arrive, decides whether that intent survives. These 24 principles cover matching, ranking, suggestions and how results are presented.
Cognitive load and fluency Attribute alignability Differences on a shared dimension (4kW vs 6kW) are easy to compare and drive choice; unique features on each product are hard to trade off and get ignored. Mainly Search, also Category, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Attention and perception Autocomplete position bias Searchers overwhelmingly look at and pick the top few query suggestions, so their order shapes what gets searched. Mainly Search, also SitewideMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Cognitive load and fluency Berrypicking Real searches evolve: people gather useful bits across a series of reworded queries, not one query and one answer. Mainly Search, also Sitewide, CategoryMainly here Tested on real shoppers Framework Choice architecture Consideration set formation Shoppers first narrow to a small set they will seriously evaluate, adding an option only if it seems worth the effort of evaluating. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Framework Attention and perception Display orientation (list vs grid) Vertical lists are read top-down with strong position effects; grids and horizontal rows are scanned more broadly. Mainly Search, also Homepage, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Choice architecture Elimination by aspects Faced with many options, people take one attribute at a time and discard everything that fails it. Mainly Search, also CategoryMainly here Tested on real shoppers Framework Pricing and value perception Evaluability (joint vs separate evaluation) Attributes that are hard to judge in isolation only influence choice when options are seen side by side. Mainly Search, also Category, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Attention and perception Information scent (information foraging) People follow cues that predict whether a path is worth the effort, and abandon it when the 'scent' weakens. Mainly Search, also Sitewide, Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Framework Choice architecture Interactive decision aids Tools that screen options and lay finalists side by side cut effort and improve decisions, and also steer which attributes matter. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Motivation and commitment Labour illusion Showing the work being done on someone's behalf raises perceived value, even when it means waiting. Mainly Search, also ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Choice architecture Over-search in ranked lists When results are already sorted best-first, looking further down exposes people to worse options and can lower the quality of what they choose. Mainly Search, also CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Choice architecture Position (rank) bias Items higher in a ranked list get disproportionately more attention and clicks, whatever their true relevance. Mainly Search, also Category, HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Cognitive load and fluency Recognition over recall Recognising something is easier than recalling it from memory. Mainly Search, also Sitewide, Category, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Strong Choice architecture Satisficing Most people stop at the first option that is good enough rather than hunting for the best. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Framework Pricing and value perception Search costs and price sensitivity What is easy to search on becomes what people choose on: easy quality information lowers price sensitivity, easy price comparison raises it. Mainly Search, also Category, ProductMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Pricing and value perception Sort-order effect The direction a list is sorted in changes what people choose: descending price or quality order pushes choice towards higher-priced options. Mainly Search, also CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Attention and perception Visual preference heuristic Shoppers prefer image-led assortments and see more variety in them, but large image-led sets are scanned less carefully and feel more overwhelming than text. Mainly Search, also Homepage, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Cognitive load and fluency Vocabulary problem People use many different words for the same thing, so any single label will miss most people's wording. Mainly Search, also Sitewide, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Social influence Bandwagon effect Demand for something rises when people see others choosing it. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Choice architecture Choice overload Too many options can reduce the likelihood of buying and satisfaction afterwards, but only under certain conditions. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, Sitewide, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Contested Choice architecture Mere categorisation effect Splitting a range into more categories makes it feel more varied and leaves shoppers more satisfied, especially unfamiliar ones. Mainly Category, also Sitewide, Search, HomepageMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Attention and perception Picture superiority effect Images are remembered better than words. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Cognitive load and fluency Response-time thresholds (Doherty) Delays beyond roughly 0.1s, 1s and 10s break the feeling of directness, flow and attention in turn. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, Search, Product, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Attention and perception Scanning patterns (F-pattern) People scan web pages rather than read them, and on text with little formatting their attention concentrates at the top and left. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, SearchMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate
No principles match all of that.
Try removing a filter or using a broader search word. Options showing 0 would give no results with your current choices.