Search Feature

One key aspect of companies such as Netflix, YouTube, and Airbnb that often gets overlooked is their search feature. This is critical to the overall user experience because it can make the user have a much easier time or a harder time. In other words, a quality search feature can add a significant amount of convenience. For these companies, convenience is a core value proposition and is part of the reason why they are so successful. This can solve issues that come up regarding users feeling like “giving up” after not being able to find a good movie, video, or home in a certain amount of time.

Comparison

What these three companies obviously have in common is a very functional search feature. However, “functionality” can be representative of different things based on specific needs. For example, Netflix may choose to optimize its offerings for recommendations because it understands its customers are looking for movies and shows that they may like. On a similar note, YouTube also prioritizes a recommendations algorithm because they have a similar customer base. However, they also understand that users often times utilize YouTube as a search engine rather than just for entertainment, and thus have built in another layer of search algorithm combined with recommendations. On the other hand, Airbnb realizes that its users are using their service in order to find a specific kind of property based on criteria or features. Thus, they developed a complex yet intuitive filtering system that helps their users accomplish their desires easily. These little details contribute a significant amount to the overall user experience, and thus should be well thought out based on customer interviewing to better understand what the customer is actually looking for.