Displaying filters in the multiple query search engine

Question

I'm designing search engine in which user could type in multiple queries. For example for real estate website, user could type all kinds of queries in one search box: name, quantity, date at the same time. Search engine would find apartments described by: date, type and price, etc.

I'm looking for the best solution, there are three solutions I'm thinking about:

1 solution:

User types two parameters into search box:

1. drop downs aren't modified*
2. query from search box isn't shown in the bar "applied filters",
3. if user applies filter from drop down, bar "applied filters" is displayed (but we show there only filters from drop downs not from search box).

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2 solution:

User types two queries into search box:

1. drop downs aren't modified,
2. new bar "applied filters" is displayed,
3. if user applies filter from drop down, system adds filters to the bar "applied filters".

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3 solution

When user types two queries into search box:

1. drop downs are modified (if user types e.g. price "up to 200$", the price drop down is modified and shows "up to 200$"),
2. new bar "applied filters"is displayed, we show there filters from search box and from drop downs

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I'm thinking that the third solution is the best, user could cancel all filters in one place -"applied filters" bar, it's clear connection between queries in search box and filters in drop downs, and it's rather obvious to the user that changing query or drop down would override previous applied filters.

In the first and second solution it's not clear what results we'll get if user typed date in search box and provided second date via drop down. Do I get combined results "search query and drop down value" or maybe drop down value will override search query? In the third solution there are not such doubts.

What do you think, maybe you know some good examples of these kind search engines?

Answer 1

I would say something like this:

This is good because it allows for the user to understand that this one thing does the following:

• Search
• Filter
• Tags

You would never want your users to be manually entering dates or prices for many reasons (lots of user variance in entry, date formats).

This solution separates the responsibility of filters and search in a way that makes sense to the user as it reads from left to right, and allows for tags to be entered at comma separated values! Yay!

If you want to add more filters, you would probably want to take these dropdowns out of the search bar and put them above the search or something.

Cheers!

Answer 2

Search box and filters have different goals:

• search box is good for non or less structured queries
• filters allow to narrow search results by applying some rules. And the filters are good for structured data, like dates, prices, etc.

Working together as complementary elements, search box and filters provides good searching experience.

In your design search box and filters don't look tike complimentary elements, instead they are duplicating elements with different presentation.

And this is a potential point of confusion. For example,

• if a user deletes 13 March from the filter, what is behavior of the search engine, which has 13 March in the search box?
• if a user sets 20 April in the filter, how the search should behave?

So, the problem is in duplicating functionality, which leads to user confusion.

You could remove the filters to solve the problem. However, filters give flexibility and serve as framework, which help users to formulate query and disclose the specificity of the fild for them.

So the better solution is to eliminate duplication and divide the roles between controls, like pictured:

UPDATE

For me it's not the best solution, still it is aligned to your requirements:

The advantages are:

• Simplicity – one row (Applied filters: ...) is thrown out
• Informativeness – as there are labels above the filters, which lead the search & filtering process

Plus in search box user could type another filters, which are not represented in drop downs, how to show to him that these filters are applied?