diff --git a/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/AbstractFindByBuilder.java b/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/AbstractFindByBuilder.java
index c1756633e3e1f..f78618eeec5f2 100644
--- a/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/AbstractFindByBuilder.java
+++ b/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/AbstractFindByBuilder.java
@@ -76,43 +76,7 @@ protected By buildByFromShortFindBy(FindBy findBy) {
   }
 
   protected By buildByFromLongFindBy(FindBy findBy) {
-    How how = findBy.how();
-    String using = findBy.using();
-
-    switch (how) {
-      case CLASS_NAME:
-        return By.className(using);
-
-      case CSS:
-        return By.cssSelector(using);
-
-      case ID:
-      case UNSET:
-        return By.id(using);
-
-      case ID_OR_NAME:
-        return new ByIdOrName(using);
-
-      case LINK_TEXT:
-        return By.linkText(using);
-
-      case NAME:
-        return By.name(using);
-
-      case PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT:
-        return By.partialLinkText(using);
-
-      case TAG_NAME:
-        return By.tagName(using);
-
-      case XPATH:
-        return By.xpath(using);
-
-      default:
-        // Note that this shouldn't happen (eg, the above matches all
-        // possible values for the How enum)
-        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot determine how to locate element ");
-    }
+    return findBy.how().buildBy(findBy.using());
   }
 
   protected void assertValidFindBys(FindBys findBys) {
diff --git a/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/How.java b/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/How.java
index e79590037a1fa..83a2d7341cde0 100644
--- a/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/How.java
+++ b/java/client/src/org/openqa/selenium/support/How.java
@@ -17,15 +17,69 @@
 
 package org.openqa.selenium.support;
 
+import org.openqa.selenium.By;
+
 public enum How {
-  CLASS_NAME,
-  CSS,
-  ID,
-  ID_OR_NAME,
-  LINK_TEXT,
-  NAME,
-  PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT,
-  TAG_NAME,
-  XPATH,
-  UNSET
+  CLASS_NAME {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.className(value);
+    }
+  },
+  CSS {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.cssSelector(value);
+    }
+  },
+  ID {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.id(value);
+    }
+  },
+  ID_OR_NAME {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return new ByIdOrName(value);
+    }
+  },
+  LINK_TEXT {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.linkText(value);
+    }
+  },
+  NAME {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.name(value);
+    }
+  },
+  PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.partialLinkText(value);
+    }
+  },
+  TAG_NAME {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.tagName(value);
+    }
+  },
+  XPATH {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return By.xpath(value);
+    }
+  },
+  UNSET {
+    @Override
+    public By buildBy(String value) {
+      return ID.buildBy(value);
+    }
+  };
+
+  public abstract By buildBy(String value);
 }
diff --git a/java/client/test/org/openqa/selenium/support/ui/HowTest.java b/java/client/test/org/openqa/selenium/support/ui/HowTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..09c03c6063fab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/client/test/org/openqa/selenium/support/ui/HowTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package org.openqa.selenium.support.ui;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.openqa.selenium.By;
+import org.openqa.selenium.support.ByIdOrName;
+import org.openqa.selenium.support.How;
+
+public class HowTest {
+
+  private static final String VALUE = "value";
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByClassName(){
+    assertEquals(By.className(VALUE).toString(), How.CLASS_NAME.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByCss(){
+    assertEquals(By.cssSelector(VALUE).toString(), How.CSS.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildById(){
+    assertEquals(By.id(VALUE).toString(), How.ID.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByIdOrName(){
+    assertEquals(new ByIdOrName(VALUE).toString(), How.ID_OR_NAME.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByLinkText(){
+    assertEquals(By.linkText(VALUE).toString(), How.LINK_TEXT.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByName(){
+    assertEquals(By.name(VALUE).toString(), How.NAME.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByPartialLinkText(){
+    assertEquals(By.partialLinkText(VALUE).toString(),
+                 How.PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByTagName(){
+    assertEquals(By.tagName(VALUE).toString(), How.TAG_NAME.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildByXpath(){
+    assertEquals(By.xpath(VALUE).toString(), How.XPATH.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testBuildUnset(){
+    assertEquals(By.id(VALUE).toString(), How.UNSET.buildBy(VALUE).toString());
+  }
+}