There are lots of different search patterns, where each suites a particular goal. Peter Morville & Jeffery Callender wrote a great book about them called Search Patterns - Design for Discovery http://searchpatterns.org
The design of search is a tricky business. Each project is unique.
For starters, we must select research methods that fit the context.
Unobtrusive field observation is rarely practical, since search is
generally ad hoc. But we can surely draw upon other ethnographic
techniques, including interviews, questionnaires, and diary study.
You started by creating a design, i.e. The answer seems obvious, have a faceted result page for each content type
, but surely you start by firstly understanding your users and discovering what they want to find.
So everything begins by understanding the find-ability goals of the user. I cannot tell you the questions you might need to ask because I don't know your context, but I imagine these might start you off:
- Are they looking for something specific?
- Are they browsing to find something suitable?
- Do they even know what they are looking for?
Search is a multidisciplinary collaboration of design, engineering,
marketing and management.