Search user experiences take on new form and meaning in an era of seamless connectivity and intelligence. Desktop search interfaces have defined most of the core search paradigms to date. As mobile devices proliferated, these paradigms were transferred to mobile contexts. Yet, mobile is different and is fundamentally transforming how people find, access and process information. Plus, new intelligence and natural interfaces will drive opportunities for search innovation and necessary evolution.
As connectivity transforms the products of tomorrow, search functionality must evolve to support these experiences of the future. Search experiences will move beyond the traditional desktop paradigms to deliver new value.
1 . Search experiences should be simple conversations with intelligent systems.
Search is a conversation.
Search has always been a human-to-computer interaction. But now with the influence of natural interface modes including voice, gesture and sensor awareness, it will transform search to be a fluid conversation. With complex natural language queries now possible, humans can converse more naturally with devices. Accuracy is improved and voice-appropriate content is growing.
Search is intelligent support.
Artificially intelligent agents are becoming a key gateway of interaction with our devices. This intelligence and proactive engagement will move search from a rudimentary function to a higher-level intelligent service and partnership with the user. User’s relationships with search transforms when agents such as Bixby, Alexa, Siri, provide supportive-assistance.
2 . Search experiences should enhance knowledge, not simply find things.
Search is about answers not questions.
Search experiences of the future rely less on questions and more on answers delivered in variable ways. The presentation of search information and the way it is conveyed are critical to ensuring that users get precisely what they need at the right time and the right place. Key logic and learning will be critical to deliver.
Search is insight not simply data.
Data alone is not enough to solve the equation when users seek to find or retrieve key information or applications. Effective search experiences convert data into insight that provides a deeper understanding and additional guidance that delivers new value to users. With the use of sensors, machine learning and AR, search experiences will deliver more than ever before.
3. Search experiences are a continuous journey, and not a destination.
Search is seamless.
The majority of users are working within apps on their mobile devices. Often their need to retrieve information or access occurs within these app experiences. Users should not have to go out of these experiences to utilize key search actions. It is critical to find ways to better integrate search seamlessly within the complete mobile experience.
Search is continuous.
Access and information needs are not one-dimensional, they are universal goals that transcend devices and platforms. Search experiences must enable continuation across devices and open exploration in other platforms and services. The key to understanding search is to evaluate the consumer journeys across the connected lifestyles and ecosystems.
4. Search experiences serve as predictive agents, anticipating needs and guiding context.
Search will have full awareness.
Search of the future is about knowing what the user needs and serving that up before the user requests. Contextual awareness and machine learning will grow the systems ability to know the inter-relationships between content, apps and spaces. Location aware search experiences will create more specific and relevant content. This opens new worlds to personal search.
Search will be proactive.
Search experiences of the future will become more tailored serving experiences. Offloading the cognitive load to the machine to be responsible for measuring and assessing context and delivering appropriate content and access. Key logic will need to be evolved to assess behavior patterns and discern needs before they are shared. As search becomes more proactive, accuracy and privacy are key considerations for success.
5. Search experiences are the dominate gateway for future interactions.
Search is the interface.
To date search has been a supplement to most experiences. An alternate way to review, process and navigation content and functions. But, in a world of invisible interface, search in essence will play a more primary role as it becomes that gateway for conversation and access. This evolution will require new paradigms to be defined that scale for future contexts.
Search is instantaneous.
The future is about ubiquity and immediacy. The time between question and answer is merged into one instance of now. Always on and always ready brings new requirements for latency and access methods when sharing and delivering search content. When time is compressed, paradigms adapt and shift to meet the new needs of now.
A Punchcut Perspective | Contributors: Ken Olewiler, Jared Benson
© Punchcut LLC, All rights reserved.
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