Search Results: Related Content

    
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Cautions
Solution Elements
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Problem Summary

The "related content" container promotes discovery of information assets related to a given query and should be used when:

  • An organization, in order to enrich user discovery, wants to direct user attention to additional information assets that are related to, but not part of, a natural result set (or on a product/entity detail page).
  • An organization wants to expose information assets that are not necessarily a direct match to a given user query but are nonetheless relevant to the user’s goals and interests (e.g., related topic areas, articles, media files, products).
  • Users are seeking specific records but may appreciate being informed about other information assets that are useful and relevant.






Usages

  • When an organization, in order to support related business and/or user goals, wants to expand or promote serendipitous discovery and invite action beyond the user's initial intent and natural search results.

  • When conceptual relationships between the user's actions (search terms, navigation choices, refinement choices, etc.), her presumed intents/goals, and secondary information assets have been defined.

  • When relationships between information assets and search criteria can be aligned with user goals, scenarios, and tasks. These relationships are typically between primary information assets (such as products) and secondary assets (such as related articles or help files).

Note: The information assets noted here are related content, rather than featured results within the natural result set. For guidance on featured results spotlighting, see the related pattern, Featured Results.

Constraints and Challenges

The design solution:

  • Must avoid compromising the efficient display and "scannability" of natural search results.

  • Must not reduce the relevance of the overall results or distract users from their primary task flows and goals.

  • May need to integrate with featured results within the natural result set.

  • Is less effective if users perceive the related information assets as being only loosely connected to the query -- available data and business rules must be considered carefully. If the targets have questionable relevance/value or don't change with additional refinement choices, users may begin to ignore these options due to poor support of the information scent. This necessitates the judicious selection of suitable business rules to ensure relevance across user scenarios.

Solution Elements

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  1. Define a consistent container on search engine result pages for the related information assets.
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  1. Position the container such that it is distinguishable from the faceted navigation menu. For example, position it as a sidebar on the side opposite the faceted navigation menu.
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  1. Position the container such that it is distinguishable from featured search results. For example, position it to the side or below the natural result set.
 
  1. Clearly label the container to support user discovery and comprehension of its content.
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  1. Convey the conceptual relationship of the "related content" container and its value through visual and textual elements. For example, you might visually distinguish the "related content" container from the primary result set.
 
  1. Distinguish the "related content" items from those of any "featured results" container. For example, position the "related content" items in a consistent secondary sidebar position (e.g., lower in the vertical stack).
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Cautions

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Tabbed treatments should be considered carefully and tested with users to ensure their discoverability. Users will not necessarily proactively navigate to a tab of "related content" results, although the provision of an item preview may help.
 
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