Search forms and other user interfaces should not be created by designers to the fine detail, but rather a vague layout, and then the interface should be designed by the user.

Here's an example: When doing patent search, the USPTO gives you a simple search
[ _______________________ ] [<Search>]
and an advanced search. In both search forms, you can write things like:

[TTL/"Abrams" And Num/124587666]

But now you already have your search with Title and patent number. Why not give the user a new form dynamically created like this:
Search for [ ______________________________ ]
( ) and ( ) or Title: ............[__________]
( ) and ( ) or Patent Number: [__________]
( ) and ( ) or [________]:... [__________]
[<Add search line>] [<Remove search line>] [<Search>]

While we are at it: Lets make it more intuitive thus:
You can type: [Title=Mouse trap Author=Mickey]
or you could type: [TTL/"Mouse trap" And ATH/Mickey
or [Titel:Mouse trap and Author:Mickey]
and you'll get:

---------------------------------

Search for [ ] (x) and ( ) or Title: [Mouse Trap] (all words)
(x) and ( ) or Author: [Mickey___________________________]
( ) and ( ) or [________]: [__________]
[<Add search line>] [<Remove search line>] [<Search>]

DID YOU MEAN Search for Title: [Mouse trap and Author:Mickey] ========================
-- pashute, Jun 19 2008

How about some kind of Structured Query Language that allows people to search databases for whatever data they want?

You could then say something like:

SELECT title, author, ISBN
from
books
where
title like 'Mickey%' or
author like '%Walt%';

The clever user interactivity is just extra fluff.
-- zen_tom, Jun 19 2008


I wrote a few of those for companies pre-SQL era; pretty baked.
-- FlyingToaster, Jun 19 2008


(-) If you already remember the query language, why would you want the extra step of seeing your expression analyzed? Wouldn't it be faster to just see the results?

There are folding bicycles. They're handy; you can take them on the subway and stuff. But someone who manages to fold and unfold their bicycle isn't designing it any more than someone who uses your hybrid form is designing a user interface.
-- jutta, Jun 19 2008


You don't remember the query language. You put in a simple search as close as possible to what you are looking for. The website gives you the possibilities back ALONG with the list of results. The browser reads the possibilities and replaces them with the UI. You can easily edit this by using a text editor and this new wiki like UI - definition language which is IMHO quite intuitive.
-- pashute, Jun 30 2010



random, halfbakery