lookforms

Lookforms are a category of interface mechanisms designed to capture or locate information primarily through visual characteristics rather than textual input. In this concept, users express the target by appearance—color, shape, texture, layout—or by providing visual exemplars, with the system translating those cues into structured queries.

Lookforms typically combine a visual query input, a similarity or embedding-based matching engine, and a results view that highlights items with perceptual similarity. Queries may be created by uploading an image, sketching, or selecting attributes from a visual taxonomy (for example, color swatches, silhouettes, or patterns). The system returns a set of items ordered by perceptual similarity, sometimes with optional textual refinements.

Applications include product discovery in fashion and home goods, digital asset management, design systems, and any domain where appearance is a primary distinguishing feature. Lookforms enable users to search and filter by how things look rather than by textual description, which can streamline exploration of visually rich catalogs.

Designers must consider accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring that color-based queries remain usable for non-visual access and that alternative text or textual filters are available. Performance is important, as visual search can be computation-heavy. Privacy concerns may arise when appearance data is tied to user identity or sensitive categories.

Lookforms relate to visual search, content-based image retrieval, and perceptual search, but focus on user-driven exploration through appearance rather than purely algorithmic matching. They can be implemented as standalone interfaces or as components within broader search systems, often complementing keyword or filter-based discovery.