Patterns: Explicit Search, Auto-complete, Scoped Search, Saved & Recent, Search Criteria (form), Search Results, Onscreen Sort, Sort Order Selector, Sort Form, Onscreen filter, Filter Drawer, Filter Dialog, Filter Form

As I was waiting for a table at a local restaurant the other day, I flipped through a couple of the free classified papers. I was shocked to realize how dependent I’ve grown on three simple features that just aren’t available in a paper-based model: search, sort, and filter.

AutoDirect and some of the other freebies may be organized by category (like trucks, vans, SUVs) but others like Greensheet just list page after page of items for sale. I would actually have to read every single ad in the paper to see if anyone was selling what I wanted. No thank you. I’ll use Craig’s List on my phone instead.

But this got me thinking. While we take search, sort, and filter for granted in our digital world, there are some nuances to getting it right in a mobile application. This chapter explores a dozen plus different approaches to search, sort, and filter in mobile applications.