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Audrey
July 17, 2009 12:05pm

I've been collecting and thinking about filters, and also watching people (try to) use sites with various filtering schemes.

It seems to me that there's a limit to what you can do with a set of filters such that the filters are 1) noticed, 2) clear and 3) not overwhelming.

The problem is that the larger the data set you're trying to help a user parse, the more tempting filters are, and paradoxically the more overwhelming/less-usable they become. Smaller filter sets like hotels.com seem to be ok, but they work less well for larger data sets. Sites start to "hack" them into being usable, introducing AJaX/wizard mashups (Cars.com is trying one now, but I've seen this in several places, a callout that points out the filters and tells the user where to start), but keeping with the old adage that help should always be available but never necessary, I'm unsatisfied with the solution.

I'm wondering if folks think:

  • that filters break down at a certain point
  • if so, whether we can make a generalization about where that is for most users
  • ...whether there's a better tool beyond that point
  • ...if we need to invent something new here
  • if not, why I'm seeing so many people struggle with what now seems like a fairly standard practice
    Or other thoughts about this?

    • Watching users come across what I thought were logical and perfectly clear filtering solutions and then close the page in a panic as being "too complicated" reminded me (again) of why we do usability, but I begin to despair...

    Five Replies
    Most Recent by poomoo
    Severin Brettmeister
    July 17, 2009 12:50pm

    Hi Audrey,

    I have been confronted with exactly the same issue, recently.

    In a professional environment, where people are working regularly with an application and need to filter tons of different information, I found the following solution very useful: http://www.javascriptkit.com/script /script2 /tablefilter.shtml.

    The technique has been improved, in the meanwhile, but the approach is still strong.

    Of course, this is not a "beginner-friendly" feature...

    All the best,
    Severin

    Bryan Minihan
    July 17, 2009 1:26pm

    Confronted with the exact problem in my current position, I reinvented their filters along the lines of Severin's link. I kept the fields "minimized" until their needed. For very long lists (thousands of options), I pull the options via ajax auto-suggest fields. For limited option columns, I pull the options from the table into a dropdown list.

    I think filters break down when you start thinking of a complex query. They don't work at all if the options don't make sense in the first place. I wouldn't want to start filtering on the perfect vehicle by first selecting the number of wheels and steel vs fiberglass...make some smart guesses on what I want, then let me filter on the 2-3 variables that make a big difference.

    There's a tendency to make the web page do everything you could conceivably want, when the number of conceivable wants is actually very small.

    I really like Dice.com's job search filters. They're not perfect, but they're out of the way, and took only a few minutes to figure out.

    Audrey
    July 20, 2009 12:54pm

    Thank you for your thoughts...

    I cannot help but think that we're missing a much-needed tool here for beginners who need to make a complex query.

    Shopping for cars, televisions, houses, vacations... All require this method. People shopping are probably beginners, since they probably don't make these purchases daily.

    For a car, for example, I could conceivably care about all kinds of things, 10s, if not 100s:

  • color
  • MPG
  • horse power
  • make / model
  • where it's made
  • sun roof
  • leather seats
  • etc. etc.

    • I wonder if the solution musn't by necessity start with a query and then break that down into "The Filters we Think You Care About" / More filters (maybe the more filters is even a query field). In that way, beginners aren't confronted with a complex filter they don't recognize...

    I'll post here if I find or come up with any solutions that are useful.

    Audrey
    July 22, 2009 10:51pm

    uBid has an interesting solution: they appear to create filters out of the search results once a user has narrowed the query somewhat, and then they treat it almost like customizing ("Choose Your New Car" ): http://bit.ly/rcEfi

    (If you click Edit on any of the choices under "Modify Your Car", the things you can choose, like color, seem to be based on what's available in 94103 on a Ford Focus.)

    poomoo
    July 27, 2009 1:22pm

    Hi Audrey,

    First, I just want to be sure I'm clear about what you're talking about. Are you referring to filters similar to those in the following examples?

    John Lewis (Left hand filter/sub nav)
    http://www.johnlewis.com/Technology /Televisions /Televisions /SubCategory.aspx

    Tiso (Right hand filter/sub nav/tagged breadcrumb) http://www.tiso.com/shop/clothing/mens/berghaus/

    Second, are you saying that in the user research you have carried out, novice/lightweight internet users find it difficult to understand these methods of interaction?

    Third, with regard to your car filters examples, surely it would be better for the majority of users to have the key filters listed/opened/indicated as primary filters so that the site benefits the majority of users.

    At the first step, it's not important to disclose all options/filters in one go. It's probably better to have "sensible default" filters to let people dive in, while supporting power users with additional and deeper filters later in the process.

    A faceted search lets you navigate through tags or attributes of a product. That's a pretty powerful way to navigate through a data set. Supporting the UI through good copy writing and labelling should help the users. Terms like "Refine your search" or your "Choose Your New Car" example are good.

    While, I understand you have problems with filtering (that is if I am properly understanding your original point!), I'm not sure seeking an alternative to faceted search is the best route to take.

    Faceted search/navigation/browsing works for many very successful ecommerce sites. If it was broken, they wouldn't use it.

    Finally, a good visual design will address your issues of affordance and clarity.

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