Visual Search Workbench: Search and Exploration
Format: methodEvidence: in daily use
This reference follows a path through Visual Search Workbench: give the search a starting point, make a promising picture the next query, then explore related material on the Similarity map. The selected images remain available in the grid for inspection and further use.
The current downloadable release is 0.2.6. The application captures remain the existing 0.2.0 screenshots; the descriptions draw on the 0.2.3 product record. The workflow graphics are explanatory schematics, not screenshots, exact layouts, or newly verified interface strings. Letters stand for photographs rather than measured search results.
1. Give the search a starting point
The search uses an index of the folders you choose. The index lets the app compare their photographs while the originals remain in place. It accepts a text query or a reference image, with neither route requiring advance tagging.
A text query is useful when you can describe what you want. A reference image is useful when showing an example is easier. Both routes lead to candidates that you can inspect in the image grid.
2. Make a result the next query
A selected photograph opens for inspection. Find similar makes that photograph the reference for another search.
The new view names the reference and offers Back to text results, keeping the change of query visible.
3. Explore a region on the Similarity map
The Similarity view offers a spatial arrangement of related images. That arrangement is built with UMAP, which takes numerical image representations, identifies their neighbourhood relationships, and looks for a layout that preserves those relationships in fewer dimensions.
In practical terms, UMAP turns many-number comparisons into places to browse on a screen. Those places are suggestions for exploration, not automatically named categories. The design article explains the method and how it differs from search ranking.
A selected region becomes a set of photographs in the linked grid. The grid lets you inspect the images behind the marks and choose whether any is worth following.
Spacing between map marks is not an exact measure of how different the photographs are. Inspect the selection in the grid to judge the images themselves.
4. Examine the selection by place or time
The selected material can be examined through Similarity, Places, and Timeline. Each view organises the collection using different information.
| View | Basis of the view |
|---|---|
| Similarity | Relationships between numerical image representations. |
| Places | Recorded coordinates, explored geographically. |
| Timeline | Dates, explored across broader or narrower periods. |
Selection carries between the views, and each view retains its zoom and pan when you change tabs. The views therefore offer different routes through related material without requiring you to rebuild the view each time.
A place-based selection can also include photographs outside the current text results. Those photographs are listed without a search rank, keeping the geographic selection distinct from the query’s ranking.
5. Inspect a photograph or use a cutout
An individual photograph can be inspected with its available file metadata. It can also supply a subject for the experimental cutout workflow, which proposes layers with transparent backgrounds.
The proposed layers can be inspected and saved for use elsewhere. A recognisable subject does not guarantee a usable separation or edge, so the cutout still needs checking. This remains a secondary workflow alongside search and exploration.
Use the reference to review the interaction
I use this reference to check whether each selection has a clear next action and a way to return to the earlier search.
The diagrams separate query choices, screen changes, and selection links. They are selective explanations; the running interface still needs to be checked for behaviour and visual quality. Text wireframes remain useful for describing the arrangement of interface elements.
Read Finding a Visual Direction with UMAP for the design idea, or return to the product page for installation and release status.