Unified Search Interface Merging Web and Native App Results
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Solution Overview
Problem
Search engines face challenges in providing relevant search results that integrate native applications with web search results, as native applications often lack corresponding web resources, leading to incomplete user satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A system that receives web search results and includes an interface element to trigger native application search results, allowing users to access content directly from installed native applications, by determining the relevance and ranking of native applications based on scoring signals and filtering criteria, and providing them alongside web search results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If search engines provide only web search results, then the search results are easy to generate and display, but the relevance and completeness of search results deteriorate when native applications lack corresponding web resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges web search results with native application search results into a unified search result interface. The search engine integrates both result types, allowing users to see and access both web pages and native applications in the same search results view, thereby improving relevance while managing complexity through unified processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary interface element that represents native applications within the web search results context. This intermediary allows the search engine to bridge the gap between web-based and native application-based search results, enabling seamless integration without requiring complete structural overhaul
2Measurement precision
If search engines integrate native application search results with web search results, then the relevance and completeness of search results improve, but the complexity of generating and processing search results increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the search result generation process into distinct components: web search result generation, native application search result generation, and integration/merging. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while reducing overall processing complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The search engine implements a universal search result processing framework that can handle both web results and native application results using the same basic infrastructure. This multi-functionality reduces complexity by avoiding separate dedicated systems for each result type while maintaining comprehensive coverage
3Ease of operation
If users access content directly from native applications through search results, then the user experience and efficiency improve, but the complexity of the search interface and interaction model increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different interaction models for different result types within the same interface. Web results use standard web browsing interactions while native application results use native application launch interactions, with the interface automatically adapting to the appropriate interaction model based on the result type
Solution Approach 2:
The search interface automatically detects and handles the appropriate interaction type based on the result characteristics. When a native application result is detected, the system automatically prepares and executes the appropriate launch parameters without requiring explicit user configuration, making the complexity transparent to the user
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for receiving a plurality of web search results, the plurality of web search results generated from a web corpus; including an interface element in the plurality of web search results, the interface element specifying a particular native application and configured to, when selected at the user device, cause a plurality of native application search results responsive to the search query be provided to the user device, each native application search result deeplinking to the particular native application; providing the interface element and the plurality of web search results to the user device; receiving an indication of a selection of the interface element from the user device; and in response to receiving the indication, providing the plurality of native application search results for the particular native application to the user device.