Use recently searched for passive submitted-query history, search suggestions for query formulation help, saved search for intentional persisted criteria, and recently viewed for opened item history.
Use recently searched for passive submitted-query history, search suggestions for query formulation help, saved search for intentional persisted criteria, and recently viewed for opened item history.
Practice the judgment: Imagine this situation: A recently viewed record appears as a recent search query, confusing object history with query history. Write the person's goal, choose one of these patterns, and show the state that helps the person continue. Use the decision rules and source trail below to explain your choice.
Review the underlying principle →| Dimension | Recently searched | Search suggestions | Saved search | Recently viewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UI or UX | UI + UX - Passive history of submitted search queries that can be rerun | UI + UX - Suggested-query surface | UI + UX - Persisted named search criteria for rerunning a dynamic result set | UI + UX - Automatic list of items the current user opened recently |
| UI guidance | Render recently searched as a labelled list of query strings the current user actually submitted, ordered newest first, with query text, scope or source, timestamp, and a clear affordance to rerun each query. | Keep suggestions visually tied to the current input. | Render Save search near the active query and result summary, and show exactly which query text, filters, scope, and sort will be stored. | Render a labelled list or rail of items the current user actually opened, ordered most recent first, with enough identity to recognize each item such as name, type, thumbnail or icon, location, status, and last-viewed time. |
| UX guidance | Help the person reach a clear task outcome. | Help the person reach a clear task outcome. | Preserve the distinction between running a saved search temporarily and updating the saved criteria, especially when a saved search is shared or subscribed to. | Use recently viewed to reduce re-finding effort when users compare items, pause work, resume documents, or return to records they inspected during the current or recent sessions. |
| Good UI | A knowledge search box opens to Recently searched with benefit appeal deadline, housing evidence upload, and debt advice appointment, each showing scope, time, result count, and a remove control. | Suggestions appear directly below the search field with active row, readable labels, and optional matched text. | A search results page shows Save search beside the result count, opens a naming dialog, and previews query, filters, scope, and sort before saving. | A procurement dashboard shows Recently viewed records with title, record type, status, project, last-viewed time, and a remove control for each row. |
| Bad UI | A list called Recent includes promoted queries, saved searches, recently viewed suppliers, and another user's sensitive query. | Promoted results styled the same as typed query suggestions. | Saved searches, recently searched terms, browser bookmarks, and saved filters are mixed in one list called Saved. | Recent history becomes a surveillance surface on shared accounts or screen shares. |
| Good UX | A user removes housing evidence upload from recent searches, and only that query disappears while saved searches and viewed records remain intact. | Users can keep typing, choose a suggestion, dismiss suggestions, or submit their own query. | A user saves a search for Open renewal risks, returns next week, reruns it, and sees newly matching cases included. | A user on a shared account removes an unexpected document from the recent list and understands that Favorites are stored separately. |
| Bad UX | Users think a recent search is a managed saved search and expect it to update dashboard alerts. | Auto-submitting the top suggestion. | Saving search stores only the current three results, so future matching records are missing. | Users trust a Recently viewed rail as a recommendation and choose an irrelevant item because sponsored content was mixed into history. |
| Best fit | Users revisit a search surface and benefit from rerunning recent query wording. | The system can predict likely queries. | Users repeat the same search criteria across sessions or operational cycles. | Users inspect multiple objects and often need to return to one they recently opened. |
| Avoid when | Users need managed, named, shared, subscribed, or dashboard-backed search criteria. | Suggestions are low quality or biased toward irrelevant content. | The list is small enough that recent searches, bookmarks, or manual scanning solve the problem. | The team wants to promote products, recommend next actions, or show related content rather than return personal history. |
| Required state | Empty or hidden state before any qualifying query has been submitted. | Typing state with suggestions. | Unsaved current search with Save search available only when criteria are meaningful. | Empty or hidden state before any qualifying item has been viewed. |
| Accessibility burden | Use a heading or labelled region that identifies the list as recent search history. | Expose the suggestions list and active option. | Use labelled form fields for saved-search name, description, visibility, and subscription settings. | Use a heading or labelled region that describes the scope of the list. |
| Common misuse | Recording unsubmitted keystrokes as search history. | Showing unrelated promoted results as suggestions. | Saving static result IDs instead of reusable criteria. | Filling recently viewed with recommendations, ads, popular items, or related content. |