What is the best way to indicate that a user can perform a value lookup

Question

What is the best way to indicate that a user can perform a value lookup?

I have a section of an application screen where users have the option to use a NAICS code as part of their search criteria. Because the database for NAICS are so larger and the data might not always be used, we decided to hide the information from the screen until a user requests it. But what is the best way indicate to the user they can preform this lookup. Our initial though was to use a button as demoed below.

^{download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups}

Answer 1

I think I'd consider something like this:

^{download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups}

That is:

• Get rid of the explicit button
• Filter dynamicly as soon as the user starts typing in the filter box
• Use a place holder text that explains the purpose and that disapears if the box has any real contents or gets the input focus
• Use a small search icon in the box for extra clarity

This is a quite standard solution nowadays for filtering back long lists, but it can work on trees as well of course.

Answer 2

I would use a button with a magnifying glass icon; a text label on this button would clutter the UI. Place the button right next to the text field with no space in between.

I have seen this setup in applications before, and it works well.

If you're feeling particularly motivated, you could make it even better by placing the looking glass icon inside the search field. Depending on what programming language you're using, this could be a lot of extra work, though.

Answer 3

I get the impression that users of the system will get used to NAICS and not need so much prompting, it is new users of the system who are our concern.

Sometimes, with complicated systems, I think it is better to be verbose. I would suggest a watermark:

"SEARCH (enter your search term for a list of NAICS codes click the ellipsis button)"

If the textbox cannot expand to fit this text then you could place it underneath the textbox or just use search as a watermark and change the ellipsis to a button with "List NAICS" as its text.