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Single Item Search
Just Browsing
Topic Search

Before you start entering words in a search screen, it may be a good idea to take a few seconds to reflect on what exactly you are searching for. Do you know exactly what you are looking for, or are you not sure, but "you will know when you see it?" Depending on how definite your search criteria are, your strategies may change.

Let's consider a hypothetical trip to a record store and see how it compares to searching for information in a database.

Single Item Search

The simplest type of search to perform is a very narrow search in which all the criteria are already known.

Record Store Metaphor

Suppose you want to buy the latest CD from one of your favorite artists. You probably know the name of the artist and the title of the album you want. If you know how your favorite record store is organized, you can go straight to the correct shelf.

If you do not happen to see it, you can ask a store clerk and having the specific album and title will help them track it to see if it is inventory and if it can be ordered. Even if you have forgotten the exact album title, you would be able to use information like artist name and release date to find the album pretty quickly.

In Database Terms

To take this in database terms, a single item search You can plug this information into a database, and see the correct result. The number of results will be a very small number, perhaps just one, and you will know quickly if it is the correct result.

In general, the more criteria you can define, the quicker your search will be because the database will be able to point to more specific results. One way to narrow the search is to define multiple keywords or define multiple Boolean criteria.

Note: This type of search is also known as the "known item search" within the field of information architecture.

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Just Browsing

In some cases, you may not be sure what you want, but you know you want something. In order to complete this kind of search, you have to first find out what is available, then narrow down your search to items that interest you.

Record Store Metaphor

Suppose you received a gift certificate for Christmas for a local record store. You definitely want to use the certificate, but are not sure exactly what you want. Your next step would probably to go to the record store and walk up and down the aisles and see what kindles your interest. Maybe you see something close to what you want, but it reminds you of another item that you actually were interested in, so you go to another shelf to hunt for it.

If you are visiting a new record store, you may ask the clerk what kinds of items are carried, or if it's a really large store, you could look at a directory or a map to get a sense of where different genres are located. Once you become familiar with the store, your future searches will be quicker because you now know where everything is located.

In Database Terms

Sometimes when you may need to "browse" a database could be when you are interested in a new topic, but don't know the specifics of it yet. You may not know what kinds of "keywords" or "criteria" are included within the topic, so you may need to look at a little bit of everything before you get a sense of what you specifically need.

Another time you may need to browse is if you encounter a new database. It's often a good idea a good idea to enter search criteria for which you already know the results just to see how the data is generally structured. You should then be able to understand how to interpret later results.

Note: In information architecture, this is known as "exploratory searching".

Hint: Many Web sites have a Browse mode which either lists the table of contents or all the records available. Other databases, like File Maker Pro and Access may have a Show All function which displays all the current records.

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Topic Search

Somewhere between a single item search and browsing is the topic search in which you are looking for multiple items within a single category. This type of search combines the relatively narrow criteria of a single item search with the sorting and hunting of a browse.

Record Store Metaphor

The scenario here would be if you were looking within a genre like reggae or for a specific artist with a lot of albums. You would have to find the appropriate aisle, then more carefully sort through the items for the CD's you want. In some cases, you may want to purchase all items in a given category or you may want to be more selective either depending on what you may have or because you are further narrowing your criteria (e.g. an artist before 1980).

In Database Terms

If you are looking for all records which meet some general criteria, you will probably use a report. A report lists all items in that category, usually in a specific sort. An artist report for a record store might list all available albums in alphabetical or chronological order. For online databases, you may see a results screen (which is a kind of report) in which the results are listed out in some kind of sort, often a scale of "relevancy".

In many cases, being able to change how the report is sorted can help you find the data more easily. Some databases allow you to modify sorts, but others do not.

Note: This type of search is similar to "existence searching" meaning you want to see if items in a certain category exist.

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