To meet the challenge of variety in product data, a Guided Search application enables a shopper to enter a search term that describes a product in general terms; for example, "cameras". A variety of configurable features -- such as spelling correction, auto-suggest, and a thesaurus of synonyms for search terms -- help shoppers specify accurate and effective search terms.

When a shopper enters a search term, a Guided Search application displays one or more general groups of product (known as facets or dimensions) within which the shopper can select particular features to narrow their search. These particular features are known as refinements. Selecting refinements may cause additional refinements to be displayed, which the shopper can select to further narrow the search. At every stage of the shopper's search, the application displays any products that have all the refinements currently selected by the shopper.

You can configure the application to sort and filter the products found by searches to make products easier to find.

The Discover Electronics reference application provided with Guided Search enables you to experiment with these features. This application is also the recommended basis for your own Guided Search application.

For example, if you enter the search term "cameras", you are then presented with groups of features under the dimensions Price, Brand, Color, and Rating. As you select features from each of these groups, the application displays the products that match all of your selections, as shown in the following figure:

Here, your search for a black Fujifilm camera with a shopper rating of 3, in the price range $250 - $500, has found two products. The you can now click the listing for each product to display a more detailed description of the product.

The remainder of this guide describes how to configure a Guided Search application in a way that will respond effectively to the challenges of product data, providing shoppers with satisfactory and productive shopping experiences.