Simplifying Search: Combining Vector (Semantic) Search and Keyword Search

 It was suggested by Griffin that I look into "Vector search" in which a user can simply ask a question instead of entering one or two key words. First off, I am not a fan to the word vector. It has too many different meanings depending on context. And it sounds all sciency. And Semantic Search is a lot better, but still an unnecessary distinction. 

So I let ULTRA build that out. Here's the solution it came up with:

The idea is good, makes it easier for the user, except when it doesn't.  Why should a user have to decide whether to Search or Ask? Why do they need to know the difference. Another decision to make?  That's just one more thing to make the user think this is too complicated and stop using it. 

So a little more research and... Hybrid search! A two-fer.  No thinking, no distinction, just say what's on your mind. It's a testament to how even ULTRA gets blindsided by answering the question it was given. I asked for Vector search, and it built it, as a bolt-on feature. Leaving the regular search alone. And  giving the user the decision. Another block to progress.

Once you look at the solution it came up with, and you are on a crusade to simplify, you gotta ask: Why do I need to choose?  Why can't ToBeWise™ just know what I want?  So it's back into the code again for version 6 of simplified search.  So, with a nudge to ULTRA, using the word Hybrid, we get the much more simple user interface, and the underlying code that handles Search and Ask:

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A bit of ToBeWise™  search history:

Version 1: searched only keywords, matching only on the 200+ list names

Version 2: searched for keywords in the context of each insight. That was a huge improvement, but it was feared that it would take so long for each search to go through 2,000 insights word for word, but it was amazingly fast. 

Version 3: included author names in the search.

Version 4: included operators (+, -, "", ",", ...) to really improve the power of the keyword search.

Version 5: Semantic search as a separate feature

Version 6: Hybrid search.