Searching and retrieving videos in a meaningful way on the web is still an open problem. The integration of a user's context into search is one of the most promising approaches to enhance current search interfaces and algorithms. We performed two user studies investigating video search, video retrieval, and video sharing behavior. In this paper we present an overview on the findings most promising for enhancing user experience in video retrieval. We propose a software prototype that implements an adaptive video retrieval system, that utilizes the users' intentions to provide better search results in a user interface adapted to the intentions and needs of users.