Search & Filtering Flows

Overview

Search is a conversation: the user offers an imperfect query and the system must always move them forward — suggest while typing, tolerate typos, never answer with a dead end. Filters narrow; search finds; the proven products (Amazon, Airbnb, Google) combine both and keep every applied constraint visible and removable.

When to Use

• Adding search to an app or catalog with more items than users will browse (>~50)
• Building typeahead/autocomplete, faceted filtering, or a results page
• Fixing "no results" dead ends, typo intolerance, or filter state loss
• Deciding instant vs submit search behavior, or adding scoped/⌘K search
• Users say "I searched for X and it's not there" about content that exists
• Reviewing a filter UI where users don't understand why results are limited
• NOT for picking one value from a short known set — that's a select/combobox
• NOT for navigation structure between destinations (see flow-navigation)

The Proven Flow