On mobile and desktop when you visit the search page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search we offer not one but TWO ways to search! Both with different autocomplete features.
Is this by design? Is this problematic?
Description
Description
Event Timeline
Comment Actions
There has been somewhat related discussions to make “normal” Vector search's a) OOUI b) autocomplete more useful. This got stopped AFAIK with search team priority changes. Advanced Search was developed by WMDE and integrated a few of the newer experience features, that were discussed, but Vector search is still lacking.
Right now it seems this task is touching too many things to be workable. @Jdlrobson Do you think that
- normal Vector search should disappear if advanced search is browsed or
- normal Vector search is missing better autocomplete?
The normal user flow is either requesting Advanced Search by location or via click, in both paths, the main search input receives focus and the Advanced Search input is in the center and more prominent. So the user focus should be guided successfully here.
Comment Actions
I don't really know what's best here @Volker_E but having 2 search bars seems a little odd to me. Do other sites follow this pattern?
Would we ideally just show one of them at a time (e.g. hide Vector's search when advanced search is open) or is clear justification for 2? Having autocomplete on the input on Special:Search seems gratuitous and confusing when the page already has the function and has shipped bytes of JS/CSS to provide that function. I would expect typing in that box to autocomplete full text search results or nothing. Does the autocomplete add value given the reason the user has likely gone to this page is because they /couldn't/ find what they were looking for?
Comment Actions
It might be possible with the Desktop improvement project.
"Other sites:"
- Phabricator (this site) shows a separate search box on advanced search. Only the header's search box has suggested results, the search page's search box is passive.
- GitHub also has a separate search box.
So double search bars do happen. However, it would be nice to have only one.
- Youtube.com demonstrates a very good search bar positioning in the middle of the header bar that could as well be the search box for advanced search.
If Vector's search bar would be repositioned, It could look something like this:
It might be possible with the Desktop improvement project.