Google.com has tabbed navigation of their major search consequence template (though they do not type the tabs as such). Nonetheless, my UX colleagues consider these tabs usually are not in a lot use, they usually consider that is frequent for all search UIs: Folks do not make use of tabbed navigation on consequence templates.

My query: Is that this backed up by precise analysis?

I’ve tried to google the problem. I discovered a fairly latest publish from Norman Nielsen on greatest practices for tabs on the whole and in addition a meta-analysis indicating that tabbed navigation yielded points for some library search UIs. However this examine doesn’t reply whether or not there have been issues within the particular person implementations or if the technique of tabbed navigation in consequence templates as such is flawed. Subsequently, references to extra analysis can be appreciated.

For sure, it might be nice if the default relevancy was so good that we would not want filters or tabs. Additionally, in our ongoing venture, we’re using group outcomes to reduce our dependency on tabs. Nonetheless they continue to be a key idea in our present templates and we want to establish whether or not usability points are of a tactical (implementation) or strategic (conceptual) nature.

I am together with the above screenshot (barely redacted) as a bonus. We person examined this, and never all customers had been in a position to make productive use of the tabs. At that time we did not have the consequence counts, which we hope will yield some “scent of knowledge”. Additionally we’re contemplating including borders and background colours to the tabs, as inspired by Jacob Nielsen.