[RFC] Search experience for new product spaces

Why?

We are about to have more than 1 space in the docs that can have similar headings. If we don’t do anything, the search result will show a list of the same name (with different URL), for example:

By searching “Button”, we might see

• Button (/material-ui/react-button/)
• Button (/joy-ui/react-button/)
• Button Unstyled (/base/react-button-unstyled/)

Goal

build a good-enough search experience for new spaces so that we can make them live as soon as possible

Requirement

• search result should be ranked as the most related content
• search result should show some differences for the same title

Proposal

The first step I think is to rank the product space based on the user’s URL.

Product space ranking

Scenario 1: on homepage When they search for “tutorial”, there is no ranking so the search result is ranked based on the object ID (default by algolia).

Scenario 2: inside a product space If they are in material-ui space (/material-ui/*), when they search anything the result of the material-ui space should be ranked first.

Product space indicator

It is possible that the search result will show the same title like:

search for “Button”:

• Button (/material-ui/react-button/)
• Button (/joy-ui/react-button/)
• Toggle Button (/material-ui/react-button/)
• Toggle Button (/joy-ui/react-button/)

To make it obvious, there should be a product identifier (like a badge after the title)

Product exclusion

This one is optional if we found out it is needed. Basically for the case where developers are in material-ui space should not see the search result from another design system (joy-ui).

cc @mui/core @danilo-leal @samuelsycamore

[danilo-leal]

That could work! Might as well iterate on this and see how it feels. @siriwatknp Any thoughts?

[oliviertassinari]

@siriwatknp 👍 for option 2. Why? Because 1 would create too much noise (need to filter the list) and because 3 could create product confusion (the same component in two different products that behaves differently).