SaaS
Contextual smart search
Contextual smart search
Contextual smart search
Contextual smart search
In this case study, we tackled the challenge of enhancing content search, making it smarter and more efficient.
As content demands grow, the challenge of finding the right material for the right audience increases. A truly effective search system goes beyond keywords—it intelligently uses tags, descriptions, and contextual information to deliver relevant results that match both the content type and the user's current tasks, providing more meaningful recommendations.
In this case study, we tackled the challenge of enhancing content search, making it smarter and more efficient.
As content demands grow, the challenge of finding the right material for the right audience increases. A truly effective search system goes beyond keywords—it intelligently uses tags, descriptions, and contextual information to deliver relevant results that match both the content type and the user's current tasks, providing more meaningful recommendations.
In this case study, we tackled the challenge of enhancing content search, making it smarter and more efficient.
As content demands grow, the challenge of finding the right material for the right audience increases. A truly effective search system goes beyond keywords—it intelligently uses tags, descriptions, and contextual information to deliver relevant results that match both the content type and the user's current tasks, providing more meaningful recommendations.
Live website
Position
Position
Lead UX Designer
Lead UX Designer
Lead UX Designer
Lead UX Designer
Timeline
Timeline
2019 - 2020
2019 - 2020
2019 - 2020
2019 - 2020
Type
Type
SaaS
SaaS
SaaS
SaaS
Company
Company
Quark Software Inc
Quark Software Inc
Quark Software Inc
Quark Software Inc
My role
My role
My role
Lead UX Designer, overseeing design research, user experience, and user interface design.
Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to craft both technical and user-centered design strategies that aligned with business objectives and user needs.
Spearheaded iterative testing and refinement cycles, ensuring continuous feedback loops and seamless integration of real-time user insights to optimize the final design.
Lead UX Designer, overseeing design research, user experience, and user interface design.
Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to craft both technical and user-centered design strategies that aligned with business objectives and user needs.
Spearheaded iterative testing and refinement cycles, ensuring continuous feedback loops and seamless integration of real-time user insights to optimize the final design.
Lead UX Designer, overseeing design research, user experience, and user interface design.
Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to craft both technical and user-centered design strategies that aligned with business objectives and user needs.
Spearheaded iterative testing and refinement cycles, ensuring continuous feedback loops and seamless integration of real-time user insights to optimize the final design.
Impact
Impact
Impact
30%
Decrease in search time
Decrease in search time
25%
Increase in search engagement
Increase in search engagement
20%
Improvement in user satisfaction
Improvement in user satisfaction
Background
Background
Background
One of Quark's 2017 acquisitions, Docurated, now known as CE Access after the launch of Quark's Content Enablement Platform, helps teams access the right content at the right time for the right audience. This includes internal documents like training manuals for new employees and external materials like pitch decks and demo videos for sales and marketing.
One of Quark's 2017 acquisitions, Docurated, now known as CE Access after the launch of Quark's Content Enablement Platform, helps teams access the right content at the right time for the right audience. This includes internal documents like training manuals for new employees and external materials like pitch decks and demo videos for sales and marketing.
One of Quark's 2017 acquisitions, Docurated, now known as CE Access after the launch of Quark's Content Enablement Platform, helps teams access the right content at the right time for the right audience. This includes internal documents like training manuals for new employees and external materials like pitch decks and demo videos for sales and marketing.
Problem
Problem
Problem
In a large organization with many taxonomies and hundreds of documents published each month, finding the right content should be easy with system assistance. However, the search function in Docurated lacked many key features that users expect from a modern search experience.
In a large organization with many taxonomies and hundreds of documents published each month, finding the right content should be easy with system assistance. However, the search function in Docurated lacked many key features that users expect from a modern search experience.
In a large organization with many taxonomies and hundreds of documents published each month, finding the right content should be easy with system assistance. However, the search function in Docurated lacked many key features that users expect from a modern search experience.
Asking the right questions
Asking the right questions
Asking the right questions
To understand how users prefer search to function, I spoke with the Professional Services team, which works directly with customers to provide custom solutions. I also collaborated with the Engineering team to understand the technical feasibility of improving search. Common questions that arose during these discussions included:
"What are users searching for?"
"Can we search within taxonomies?"
"Can we search based on properties?"
"How do you design search to make finding content easy?"
To understand how users prefer search to function, I spoke with the Professional Services team, which works directly with customers to provide custom solutions. I also collaborated with the Engineering team to understand the technical feasibility of improving search. Common questions that arose during these discussions included:
"What are users searching for?"
"Can we search within taxonomies?"
"Can we search based on properties?"
"How do you design search to make finding content easy?"
To understand how users prefer search to function, I spoke with the Professional Services team, which works directly with customers to provide custom solutions. I also collaborated with the Engineering team to understand the technical feasibility of improving search. Common questions that arose during these discussions included:
"What are users searching for?"
"Can we search within taxonomies?"
"Can we search based on properties?"
"How do you design search to make finding content easy?"
User feedback
User feedback
User feedback
1
Show multi-faceted suggestions
Show multi-faceted suggestions
Show multi-faceted suggestions
As I am searching for content, show me the top suggestions grouped by various facets and taxonomies.
As I am searching for content, show me the top suggestions grouped by various facets and taxonomies.
As I am searching for content, show me the top suggestions grouped by various facets and taxonomies.
This was a major gap in the existing search. Multi-faceted search needed not only a design update but also significant technical enhancements to fetch results based on additional parameters.
This was a major gap in the existing search. Multi-faceted search needed not only a design update but also significant technical enhancements to fetch results based on additional parameters.
This was a major gap in the existing search. Multi-faceted search needed not only a design update but also significant technical enhancements to fetch results based on additional parameters.
2
Show auto-suggestions
Show auto-suggestions
Show auto-suggestions
As I am searching for content, I would like the system to correct spelling errors and offer suggestions to improve the odds of a direct match.
As I am searching for content, I would like the system to correct spelling errors and offer suggestions to improve the odds of a direct match.
As I am searching for content, I would like the system to correct spelling errors and offer suggestions to improve the odds of a direct match.
This request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with. The expectation is that the system should be smart enough to understand and correct poor queries.
This request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with. The expectation is that the system should be smart enough to understand and correct poor queries.
This request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with. The expectation is that the system should be smart enough to understand and correct poor queries.
3
Show recent searches
Show recent searches
Show recent searches
As I am searching for content, I would like to see my previous search queries, with the ability to remove them, if necessary.
As I am searching for content, I would like to see my previous search queries, with the ability to remove them, if necessary.
As I am searching for content, I would like to see my previous search queries, with the ability to remove them, if necessary.
Once again, this request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with, and rightly so. Much of a knowledge worker's day is spent researching repetitive topics. If a user has searched for something once, they might want to see it again.
Once again, this request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with, and rightly so. Much of a knowledge worker's day is spent researching repetitive topics. If a user has searched for something once, they might want to see it again.
Once again, this request closely resembles a Google-like search experience that most users are familiar with, and rightly so. Much of a knowledge worker's day is spent researching repetitive topics. If a user has searched for something once, they might want to see it again.
Reframing the problem
Reframing the problem
Reframing the problem
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Quark's customers had seen the benefits of these features on other platforms. It made sense to research how other solutions handling large, complex datasets used search suggestions to simplify content discovery.
Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
Outlook's search experience finds matches from a priortized assortment of facets.
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Quark's customers had seen the benefits of these features on other platforms. It made sense to research how other solutions handling large, complex datasets used search suggestions to simplify content discovery.
Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
Outlook's search experience finds matches from a priortized assortment of facets.
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Quark's customers had seen the benefits of these features on other platforms. It made sense to research how other solutions handling large, complex datasets used search suggestions to simplify content discovery.
Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
Outlook's search experience finds matches from a priortized assortment of facets.
/ Above / Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
/ Above / Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
/ Above / Google's search experience shows a good balance of search history, direct matches and smart suggestions.
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Docurated was built over 10 years ago, when dynamic real-time suggestions weren't common. However, by 2019, users expected this functionality.
Solution
Solution
Solution
The main motivation for redesigning the search experience was to introduce a highly targeted, facet-based search system. The redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additional facets and taxonomies.
The main motivation for redesigning the search experience was to introduce a highly targeted, facet-based search system. The redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additional facets and taxonomies.
The main motivation for redesigning the search experience was to introduce a highly targeted, facet-based search system. The redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additional facets and taxonomies.
/ Above & Below / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additonal facets and taxonomies
/ Above & Below / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additonal facets and taxonomies
/ Above & Below / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes additonal facets and taxonomies
The multi-faceted search finds content across all taxonomies, sorting suggestions into their respective groups. These groups are then ordered based on a prioritization system that is contextual to the user's current location, all within a dynamic mega-dropdown.
Another key addition to the search system is property-based searches. If the search query matches an existing property, the user can search directly within that property. For example, typing "Modif..." would suggest "Modified by," allowing the user to search for people who may have modified a document.
The multi-faceted search finds content across all taxonomies, sorting suggestions into their respective groups. These groups are then ordered based on a prioritization system that is contextual to the user's current location, all within a dynamic mega-dropdown.
Another key addition to the search system is property-based searches. If the search query matches an existing property, the user can search directly within that property. For example, typing "Modif..." would suggest "Modified by," allowing the user to search for people who may have modified a document.
The multi-faceted search finds content across all taxonomies, sorting suggestions into their respective groups. These groups are then ordered based on a prioritization system that is contextual to the user's current location, all within a dynamic mega-dropdown.
Another key addition to the search system is property-based searches. If the search query matches an existing property, the user can search directly within that property. For example, typing "Modif..." would suggest "Modified by," allowing the user to search for people who may have modified a document.
/ Above / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes the ability to search within a particular metadata.
/ Above / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes the ability to search within a particular metadata.
/ Above / redesigned search experience for CE Access includes the ability to search within a particular metadata.
A great example of this experience is Google Chrome's "Tab to search" feature. Typing "youtube [tab]" directs your search to YouTube instead of Google.
The dropdown also includes enhancements like auto-correction and recent searches.
A great example of this experience is Google Chrome's "Tab to search" feature. Typing "youtube [tab]" directs your search to YouTube instead of Google.
The dropdown also includes enhancements like auto-correction and recent searches.
A great example of this experience is Google Chrome's "Tab to search" feature. Typing "youtube [tab]" directs your search to YouTube instead of Google.
The dropdown also includes enhancements like auto-correction and recent searches.
Results
Results
Results
1
Show multi-faceted suggestions
Show multi-faceted suggestions
Show multi-faceted suggestions
To make searching effective for knowledge workers, the search mechanism includes additional metadata such as tags, descriptions, and CMS-based properties.
To make searching effective for knowledge workers, the search mechanism includes additional metadata such as tags, descriptions, and CMS-based properties.
To make searching effective for knowledge workers, the search mechanism includes additional metadata such as tags, descriptions, and CMS-based properties.
2
Improved contextual search
Searching within a certain view prioritizes content in that context before considering additional parameters.
Searching within a certain view prioritizes content in that context before considering additional parameters.
3
Support for power-users
It is now possible for power-users to search specifically within a particular search paremeter.
It is now possible for power-users to search specifically within a particular search paremeter.
2
Improved contextual search
Improved contextual search
Searching within a certain view prioritizes content in that context before considering additional parameters.
Searching within a certain view prioritizes content in that context before considering additional parameters.
3
Support for power-users
Support for power-users
It is now possible for power-users to search specifically within a particular search paremeter.
It is now possible for power-users to search specifically within a particular search paremeter.
Looking for a designer who can elevate your product with smart, user-centered solutions?
Looking for a designer who can elevate your product with smart, user-centered solutions?
Looking for a designer who can elevate your product with smart, user-centered solutions?
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Let’s work together to create something impactful.
Let’s work together to create something impactful.