Websites, Portals & eCommerce

Given that there are situations (large, content or product rich site, for example) when users are likely to require a search facility, it is worth considering best practise in terms of displaying results in a way that assists users find what they are looking for.

Most users are more concerned with achieving their goal than understanding the logical structure of the application they are using, and tend to gravitate towards the content they are looking for by following 'scent', which can best be thought of as a clear signpost to content 'below' through links and content 'above'.

Visit a company website and you'll often be presented with an obscure term which is at first glance apparently meaningless. Chances are it's a product name, or possibly a partner program. To those in the company, such terms become so familiar that the idea that users will not understand them is forgotten.