In its neverending quest to remove every possible barrier from the shopping experience, Amazon has started testing a new mobile app configuration that moves the search box to the bottom of the screen.
The change, which will start to appear today for some users, is meant to put the search box within easy reach even when someone is using a device with one hand.
Search box location in mobile apps is a longstanding subject of debate in the world of user experience and design, in part as an indication of the relative importance of search in navigating and finding content.
Under the new configuration, the search box will remain persistent at the bottom of the screen even as users scroll, in the same way that it sticks to the top of the screen in the current design, a company spokesperson says.
Amazon says the new configuration is being tested initially with “select mobile customers” in the U.S. on both iPhone and Android devices, and will be rolled out to additional customers worldwide in the coming months.
