Essentials / 16:17
Design intuitive search experiences
EssentialsDesigniosipadosmacos
Key Points
- Covers new patterns and best practices when implementing search in an app.
- Covers how search helps people find and navigate content, plus how to integrate search across navigation models and app layouts.
- The session moves through Search field, Patterns and placement, Best practices.
- Platform coverage: ios, ipados, macos.
More Detail
Additional details
- A search field has expected parts: search icon, placeholder text, clear button, and on iOS a cancel button while focused.
- Placement changes both ergonomics and perceived scope; bottom toolbar search emphasizes reachability, while inline or top toolbar search can better match some navigation structures.
- Search can appear as a toolbar field, a toolbar button that expands, a tab, or an inline field depending on how people navigate the app.
- Branded search icons should remain close to the universal magnifying-glass symbol so the function is immediately recognizable.
- Best practices focus on reducing friction while entering text, filtering results, clearing queries, and returning to the previous navigation state.