Please add an additional explanation when search fails.
I have found that 99% of the time when I get this page (https://www.familysearch.org/search/tree/results?count=100&q.birthLikeDate.from=1894&q.birthLikeDate.to=1894&q.birthLikePlace=Stord%2C%20Hordaland%2C%20Norway&q.givenName=johan ):
if I just refresh the browser window, the search works just fine. Clicking search again does not work. Going back is not helpful. Going to the FamilySearch Home Page is really not helpful. Adding a last name is not necessary.
Adding a message here, something like "Please refresh your browser window" or "Clicking Refresh on your browser may solve this problem," might help with one of the frustrations people have with the search page.
Comments
-
I should clarify, but don't want to edit the post and risk the image disappearing. This is in Find in Family Tree.
2 -
@Gordon Collett that same message shows up in Search in Records, of late, even when there IS a last name/surname entered, especially if trying to use a wildcard in the surname. It usually takes several refreshes to force the search to complete.
3 -
I have found the problem showing up in "Search" (Records) for quite a long time. In my experience, it usually only takes one reload of the page to produce the results being sought. However, I agree with Gordon that this must be totally confusing for inexperienced users. It must also lead them to believe they have done something wrong in simply entering a wildcard, when the initial search criteria is rejected - just on the basis of entering, say, "John Latha*" when you want results included for both "John Latham" and "John Lathan" instances.
4 -
So the message should maybe be something like, "Please keep clicking the refresh button of your browser until I get around to completing your search. You want so many results that I'm going to work on easier and shorter requests first."
3 -
The message is especially annoying when I'm shortening the list compared to what it was just showing me (by applying a filter, for example).
I agree with Gordon: an actually honest formulation of that message would be something along the lines of "Sorry, I don't feel like doing that right now. Please make your request again and I may consider fulfilling it."
1 -
Or to make the program a little more polite: "We're sorry. The servers timed out doing your search. Please click the refresh button in your browser to force a repeat search."
4 -
"Our servers are busy. We can't handle the load. Please refresh to tell us you REALLY want to see that record."
1 -
The possibilities are endless.
1 -
"The possibilities are endless."
Indeed. And so are the possible reasons for the issue. @Gordon Collett's description hints at one set of possible reasons to me, but I've no idea whether they're correct. This is (hobby-horse warning) one of my deep concerns with the Family Search User Interface - they simply don't trust, us, the users, to deal with any complexity and so they mislead us. Of course there will be those who won't understand the complex reasons but if the simple advice is incorrect ("Clicking search again does not work. Going back is not helpful. Going to the FamilySearch Home Page is really not helpful. Adding a last name is not necessary.") then the desire for simplicity is counter-productive.
2
