I’ve just read this interesting article about faceted search: http://www.uie.com/articles/faceted_search. Faceted search or guided navigation allows you to search by different types of metadata (called facets). You can drill down via these dimensions: narrow down your search result by selecting the value you prefer in the choice lists associated with these facets. Or search for related items, which share facets.
Personally, I use the faceted search feature in an online bookstore I visit: I browse the collection by selecting a category, a genre, a price range, a language, or whichever suits my needs at that moment.
Stephanie Lemieux lists in her article a set of dos and don’ts that have emerged as best practices for designing faceted search.
Interesting article, thanks for pointing me to this!
Comment by Mark van Dijk — May 12, 2009 @ 16:30
Thanks Mark! Currently there are so many possibilities to tackle the search, and it is sooo necessary to make the search better. We are definitely living and working in interesting times 🙂
Comment by Frederique — May 13, 2009 @ 16:25