Labeling and Search Principles

Labeling principles govern how link labels, page titles, and other wayfinding elements communicate meaning. Create clear, easy-to-differentiate link labels. Make sure labels clearly convey what's at their destination. Clearly identify destination pages using terminology that matches the label that led there. Use familiar terminology throughout, the language your actual users use, not internal jargon. And create a consistent labeling system, so the same concept is always labeled the same way.

Search principles cover the internal search experience. Provide search as an alternative wayfinding path for people with disabilities, for whom navigation can be slow and laborious. Place the search box in a consistent location on every page. Check the spelling of search queries automatically. Ignore irrelevant words like articles and prepositions. Let users revise their query easily from the results page. Display the best results first, show the total number of results, and provide a helpful path forward when a search returns nothing.

A search box that returns zero results with no suggestion of what to try next doesn't just fail to help, it actively tells the user the information probably doesn't exist at all.

Exercise

The scenario: A health information website uses "Wellness Resources" for a directory of self-help articles, and separately, "Health Resources" for a section containing appointment booking and insurance information, near-identical labels leading to entirely different content.

The site's search box appears in a different location on every page template. A search for "diabetis" (misspelled) returns a blank results page with no suggestion and no indication that the term was misspelled. When search results do appear, they show only a page title, with no date, snippet, or source information.

User complaints: "I typed 'wellness resources' expecting self-help articles and ended up trying to book an appointment." "I can never find the search bar in the same place twice." "I searched for my condition and got literally nothing, with no idea why."

1. Which principle is violated by the "Wellness Resources" / "Health Resources" label confusion?
2. Which search principle is violated by the search box appearing in a different location on every page?
3. Which principle is violated by the blank results page for the misspelled query?