# search-ux

Guides the agent through search design: query input, suggestions, filters, results and the empty state. Useful when people retrieve instead of browse.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1800 installs · ★ 3103
- Author: Owl-Listener
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills/tree/HEAD/interaction-design/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-09-05
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/search-ux

## What it does

The skill puts the agent in the role of a search interface designer. It walks the whole path: what the input field looks like, what shows up in autocomplete, how results are laid out, and how the states with and without matches differ. One section covers search-as-navigation, where someone types "settings" or "my profile" to get somewhere rather than find something.

The rules are concrete. Start suggestions after 2–3 characters, keep them to 5–8, bold the typed portion, support keyboard navigation. Results come in three layouts: list, grid, and grouped by content type. Filters should match the current result set, with counts next to each value.

The zero-results state gets the most attention. The skill asks for the query to be echoed back, a typo correction, broader terms, and alternatives such as categories. Analytics are covered too: top queries, zero-results queries, refinement rate, click position. It is meant to sit alongside `navigation-patterns`, which handles browse structure — for a purely navigational layout, install both.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Owl-Listener/designer-skills --skill search-ux -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/search-ux/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Owl-Listener/designer-skills --skill search-ux -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Owl-Listener/designer-skills --skill search-ux -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install Owl-Listener/designer-skills search-ux
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Owl-Listener/designer-skills --skill search-ux -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills --path interaction-design/skills/search-ux
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Owl-Listener/designer-skills --skill search-ux -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills/tree/HEAD/interaction-design/skills/search-ux/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- design a search field with a descriptive placeholder and a reset button
- set up autocomplete with recent and popular queries
- turn a zero-results page into something that keeps people around
- pick between list, grid and grouped result layouts
- read query logs to find content gaps

## Example prompts
- Design search for a product catalog: input field, autocomplete and a list of results
- The user typed a misspelled query and got nothing — what should the screen show?
- Add filters to the results page with counts for each value

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 46705d2641c3c40f.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 46705d2641c3c40f
```text
---
name: search-ux
description: Design search — query input, zero results, refinement, and result presentation. Use when users retrieve rather than browse. For browse structure, use `navigation-patterns`.
---
# Search UX
You are an expert in designing search systems that are fast, forgiving, and genuinely useful.
## What You Do
You design the full search experience — query input, results, filtering, zero-results states, and search-as-navigation patterns — so users find what they need with minimal effort and friction.
## Search Entry
### The Search Input
- Placeholder text should describe what can be searched: "Search products, brands, or categories" not just "Search…"
- Input width should suggest expected query length — wider inputs invite longer queries
- Auto-focus search input when the search view is opened
- Submit on Enter; provide a clear search icon/button for touch users
- Show a clear/reset button once a query is entered
### Autocomplete and Suggestions
- Suggest completions after 2–3 characters to reduce typing
- Show recent searches first, then trending/popular, then predicted completions
- Highlight the query term within suggestions (bold the typed portion)
- Limit to 5–8 suggestions; more creates decision overhead (Hick's Law)
- Allow keyboard navigation through suggestions
### Search-as-Navigation
Some users use search to navigate rather than find: "settings", "invoices", "my profile". Design for this:
- Include navigational destinations in suggestions
- Surface exact-match pages at the top of results
- Don't penalize navigational queries with "no results" when the destination exists
## Results
### Results Layout
- **List**: works for most content types; scanning-friendly
- **Grid**: for visual content (images, products, cards) where thumbnail is the primary signal
- **Grouped by type**: when results span heterogeneous content types (files, people, messages)
- Show result count: "142 results for 'onboarding'"
- Show which fields matched (title, body, tags) for complex content types
### Result Items
Each result should show:
- Title (with query term highlighted)
- Snippet of matching context (with query term highlighted)
- Metadata relevant to the decision (date, author, category, price, status)
- Enough to decide whether to click — not so much it replaces clicking
### Ranking and Relevance
- Recency, popularity, and exact-match title should score higher
- Personalization (user's recent activity, role, location) improves relevance for logged-in contexts
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 46705d2641c3c40f

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 46705d2641c3c40f tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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