User Story

As a reader participating in the Hybrid Search experiment, I want to see simplified search suggestions that emphasize coverage rather than article previews, so that I’m encouraged to think beyond individual article titles and intentionally initiate search.

Description

For users in the Hybrid Search experiment group, modify the search suggestion experience so that article suggestions are displayed as plain titles only, without images, descriptions, or additional metadata.

This design intentionally strips away visual and descriptive cues that reinforce the mental model of “search = article lookup,” helping shift user behavior toward coverage-based discovery and intent-driven search.

Search results should only be triggered when:

• The user explicitly presses Enter / Search, or
• The user explicitly taps a suggestion title

Acceptance Criteria

• When a user in the experiment types a query:
  • Search suggestions display article titles only
  • No images, thumbnails, descriptions, or snippets are shown
• Suggestions visually differ from standard search suggestions enough to reduce the perception that they are full article previews
• Search is not automatically triggered while typing, only titles should generate as user is typing
• Search is initiated only when:
  • The user presses the keyboard search/enter action, or
  • The user taps a suggestion title
• When the user decides to initiates the search of the query they've typed or selected, it should take them to a results screen instead of an article
• Behavior applies only to users in the experiment group
• Control group continues to see existing search suggestion behavior

Out of Scope

• True query prediction or rewriting
• Personalized reranking or suggestions

Design:

Titles-only screen - Figma mockup

Flow detail highlighting the experience (full flow in Figma)

Copy and Translations: TBA