I actually do agree with you. Findability is a prerequisite no matter what else you do on the site. But it would be nice if we could move user experience to the next level and expose people to stuff that they didn’t know about previously – stuff they might enjoy tremendously.

But I completely agree that discovery is extremely important when shopping, particularly online. Even if the search finds the product you want, it may not show you a cheaper product that, if you knew about, you’d actually prefer. Many of the products we would buy, we don’t buy, because we don’t know they are there!

And findability is all about discovery. It’s about finding what you want, not merely finding the exact product you searched for. Ideally, products would be so findable that the user could just enter in a set of preferences, and let the store bring up products that meet the criteria. And the user should be able to refine their preferences, eliminating undesirable results from the view, and adding desirable related products to view. This is the ultimate shopping experience.

As for liking the hunt, I think that’s true. But you can have an equally satisfying hunting experience online, where you have the potential to compare the same product at thousands of different stores. And it’s almost guaranteed there will be a prize in there somewhere.

I think the thrill of the “hunt” for consumers is not limited to the environment. I think many bargain hunters relish sorting through racks at a store (strip mall chain or unique boutique) to find a prize.

I actually agree with you completely, but I think the environment of the “American-style” shopping mall is not necessarily sterile nor uniquely American.