I have a text field where users can enter a query, and a Search
button. When the user clicks on the button, it sends the query to the server, which in turn returns data that I fill in a table below the search controls.
I want to add an Export
button, that will export the data to a downloadable file(currently CSV, but I might want to add other formats later). That exported data should obviously be based on the user's query, but what if the user changes the query without reclicking?
Example - the user enters "cats" in the field, clicks Search
and the table is filled with cat related results. Then the user enters "dogs", but instead of clicking on Search
again, they click on Export
.
On the one hand, the query field clearly says "dogs", so the user might expect to get dog data in the CSV. On the other hand, the table is filled with cat data, so the user might expect that very same cat data to appear in the CSV.
Which option should I choose? Which is more intuitive and less confusing to the user?
Export
button is near theSearch
button then use the next query, if the export button is after the 'flow' of searching (like under the results) then use the old query.