Advanced search is invisible!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Since I transitioned to IPB from vBulletin, quite a few people have complained that the new software is hard to understand and buries its options in obscure places. I attributed many of these complaints to the adjustment phase -- everyone is used to the vB way of working -- and made minor tweaks and changes when comments made good sense.

So, here's one very obvious problem. A member was complaining about search: there's no options to select specific forums, he said, or do anything but search for a keyword.

Well, there is, but it's only available from the tiny gear icon to the right of the search box. I have no idea how you're supposed to know that leads you to the Advanced Search. I'd suggest linking from the search drop-down that users are more likely to find.

Furthermore, the results listing gives no options for refining your search. It doesn't say "To refine your search, use the Advanced Search," with a link. And when you accidentally search in "this forum" instead of the entire site, it gives no indication that your search was restricted to one particular category, so you get 0 results and assume the search system is broken.

It'd be nice if search were easier to figure out.

[Francismori7_2]

A minor edit to the header to include title="Advanced Search..." on the img tag would do it...

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

That's not particularly noticeable. An improvement, but still not a complete solution. I'd like the search page to make it clear that you can refine results and adjust your search.

[Francismori7_2]

You could also replace the gear icon with "Advanced Search" in the template and link it to the same place the gear icon does. The text will be more helpful than the icon.

[3DKiwi]

I agree with the original poster. I doubt many people would think that this icon is the advanced search button. It needs reworking so that it's obvious that there's an advanced search option.

3DKiwi

[markopolo2002]

Yep, one of many problems I'm facing too with the new board, most members hit this button thinking it's the 'GO' button and land on the advanced search page - for some it's a start in the search function, for others it's a complete turn off and they simply leave. Could just be me also, but IE8 doesn't even show the drop down in the search! and even when it is visible in Firefox I'm beginning to think the whole new experience has been over-engineered to the point where people just no longer know where to start with the new site and as such they just leave.

For certain forums, the changes may bring some improvements and much needed functionality, but in my case, being a download site, it's too much for our users I think!

[jonsidneyb]

It did take me awhile to find advanced search. I also at first messed when I was searching blogs and wanted to be searching the forums.

I did get used to it and is not a problem now.

Maybe others that have converted their forums can chime in. I am still on vB and want to make a change but have not yet so I have not faced these issues yet.

I wish I knew how a move will play out. There is a positive. It seems that most of the people that said they have moved have had good luck with the members adapting to IPB3 and that is a big positive. I have just not gone through that yet.