I have always played notice far different than search.
For me notice has always been hey did you notice that guy has a .45 tucked in his waist band. Not hey did you search the room to find the keys hanging on the wall.
Notice examples
There are a lot of people here during the workday; The guy in the corner posture suggest that he may be looking to harm someone. That guy over there walks like someone who has been doing Muy Thai for years.
I tend to play notice an aweful lot like I would a 6th scent. A low notice roll give them a small detail like hey be warry while a high one might give specifics like those three over in the corner are part of x gang and look poised to ambush the next person to come around the corner.
search examples
You find a hidden switch, a key, a secret door.
I agree, most of the time if they roll good notice checks I'll give players a bit more information. Instead of you see a warehouse with boxes and crates, I push the fact that it seems eerily empty or say that it looks like signs of people having been here. However I won't give everything away.
I give my players most stuff that is common. This last campaign I would give them general information like your in a burnt out super market. Then they do a search check and find a bunch of stuff that look like they werent in a fire at all. Giving information via search gives them a sense of actually finding stuff instead of automatically figuring it off from a notice check(I initiate notice while they initiate search). Eventually they figure out what their up against, via these hints. However if they were say looking for a safe in a room, unless its hidden, they will see it.
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