# Suggestions or Results
> Once the query means something, show the thing, not a guess at the question.

## Situation

Does the person already know what they’re looking for?

## Decision

### Use Suggestions when

The catalog is huge and unknown to the person searching, like a marketplace. Helping them phrase the query narrows a space they can’t see.

- Open, unbounded catalog
- People don’t know item names
- Exploratory browsing
- Wording changes results a lot

### Use Results when

People look for something they’ve seen before: a file, a customer, a ticket. The best suggestion is the item itself, opened with Enter.

- Known-item retrieval
- Finite content the team owns
- Items have memorable names
- Repeat users who want speed

**The numbers:** Finite, named content: switch from suggestions to real results after 2–3 typed characters. Open catalogs where people can’t know item names: keep query suggestions. Empty field: recent items, not results.

## Why

People search here for files they’ve already seen, so the fastest answer is the file itself, opened with Enter, not a guess at their question.

## Edge cases

Before anyone types, there’s nothing to match. Show recent items and saved searches instead of results.

Source: https://www.designdecisions.dev/cards/suggestions-results
Author: Alex Dovhyi