Browse vs. Search

Interesting piece by Bruce Tognazzini on managing the balance between browsing and searching in UI design. Totally agree with this bit on search in iOS Mail:

The Mail search for iOS is hopeless. You have to specify which folder the message is in. If I knew that, I probably could have just pawed through that particular folder and found it. Strangely, the Spotlight search at the Springboard level in the exact same iOS has no problem searching across all mail folders. Why should you have to know to avoid the built in search and, instead, leave Mail, go to the desktop, then to Spotlight, in order to look for an email? It makes no sense.

(Via MacSurfer.)

★ Monday, 5 December 2011