Craig S Miller - Filter + Search

Filter + Search

Simplify and expand Vyopta's limited search capabilities with intuitive and powerful options like Quick Starts and introducing the ability to save your search and recent history.

My Role

I was the lead product designer working on a team size of 6 people that included program managers, software engineers, customer success, QA testers and sales engineers.

"Quick Start" Filtering on Dataset

Highlights

Delivered the #1 most featured request giving customers the ability to save a search and reuse later.
Visual "Quick Starts" rethought how customers would first see and interact with all searches.
Helped renew key existing customers asking for an easier search approach.

Project Scope

Our goal was to deliver a completely reimagined search and filter experience, some of the limiting factors included a six month timeline, designing for new and existing customers (for advanced searches) and deliver value within focused product releases.

The Challenge

Customers were frustrated by the lack of control and management. Once a search was complete, it couldn't be modified, most users were confused with this restrictive search approach. The high level goals were:

Simplify the search process while still providing advanced features.
Allow boolean operators (and, or, in, not in) to be added.
Let the user modify any search, anywhere.
Give the ability to save a search and view all history.

Exploring multiple walkthrough directions for adding a new filter

Research & Interviews

I researched different types of search and filter tools and apps within Vyopta's sector and others, then I mapped out the legacy search workflow by developing wireframes to help determine our starting point.
Next, I helped research the current search and filter process by interviewing multiple internal stakeholders (software engineers, product support, sales engineers) to better understanding their expectations.
I interviewed key customers (both existing and potential new customers) to understand how they expected to use search and filtering.
We held many white boarding sessions that I lead within our product team to determine what direction and progression made sense.

Early selection wireframes for "filter pill"

Design Sprint

I help facilitate multiple mini design sprints with key stakeholders and customers to see how we might simplify the search + filter process and explore new features. What we discovered:

We kept hearing over and over from customers, "Why can't I save my search?".
The customer success team was growing more concerned about the company's ability to retain major customers, due to the current search limitations.
Customers wanted the ability to easily modify any search at anytime. The current system was so limited, all you could do was delete and start over again.

Users needed the ability to include boolean operators within their filtering experience, that could also be easily modified.

The Execution

Next was putting together the base UX design (sketching, white board sessions, wireframes, low and high fidelity mock ups and then an interactive prototype) based off of our research findings. We identified these key areas:

Organize category operators

Challenge: Each category had at least five unique operators and up to ten choices on how to search for it.
Solution: We rethought how the interaction should take place, based off of user research and customer feedback. Users wanted simpler options and the ability to modify their choices.

Category operators became easier to read

Quick Picks + Interaction

Challenge: The only interaction with a search was to type, select and delete. You could not modify, only delete.
Solution: We completely opened up how you interacted with search by allowing the user to modify the attribute, operator and value at any point. In addition, we created Quick Picks - an easy visual reference for customers when selecting some of the more popular filter choices.

Operators became easier to read and Quick Picks helped choice selection

Quick Starts

Challenge: No visual help was given to aid the user in their search.
Solution: Quick Starts (robust filter button groups) allowed you to quickly turn things on/off, and visually represented the most popular filtering options.

Quick Starts replaced a blank search field

Boolean Operators

Challenge: The previous search did not allow for any boolean operators, users had to perform additional searches after each one to string things together.
Solution: Users would now have the ability to place (and/or) boolean operators after each filtered search option.

Search operators were easy to change

Save Search

Challenge: The previous search did not allow saved searches. Users had to delete the current search and start completely over.
Solution: Customers would now be able to save their searches! This was the most requested feature from the Vyopta customer base. In addition, customers could now access their recent search history and view all saved searches.

Users had access to recent history and all saved searches

Outcome & Results

We achieved our goal of completely rebuilding and delivering a new search + filter system within six months.

We delivered the number one most featured request, at that time, in giving customers the ability to save a search and reuse later.
The ability to break apart and modify how you filter, helped renew existing customers who wanted an easier approach.
Quick Starts completely rethought how customers would first see and interact with all searches.

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My Role

"Quick Start" Filtering on Dataset

Highlights

Project Scope

Our goal was to deliver a completely reimagined search and filter experience, some of the limiting factors included a six month timeline, designing for new and existing customers (for advanced searches) and deliver value within focused product releases.

The Challenge

Customers were frustrated by the lack of control and management. Once a search was complete, it couldn't be modified, most users were confused with this restrictive search approach. The high level goals were:

Simplify the search process while still providing advanced features.

Allow boolean operators (and, or, in, not in) to be added.

Let the user modify any search, anywhere.

Give the ability to save a search and view all history.

Exploring multiple walkthrough directions for adding a new filter

Research & Interviews

I researched different types of search and filter tools and apps within Vyopta's sector and others, then I mapped out the legacy search workflow by developing wireframes to help determine our starting point.

Next, I helped research the current search and filter process by interviewing multiple internal stakeholders (software engineers, product support, sales engineers) to better understanding their expectations.

I interviewed key customers (both existing and potential new customers) to understand how they expected to use search and filtering.

We held many white boarding sessions that I lead within our product team to determine what direction and progression made sense.

Early selection wireframes for "filter pill"

Design Sprint

I help facilitate multiple mini design sprints with key stakeholders and customers to see how we might simplify the search + filter process and explore new features. What we discovered:

We kept hearing over and over from customers, "Why can't I save my search?".

The customer success team was growing more concerned about the company's ability to retain major customers, due to the current search limitations.

Customers wanted the ability to easily modify any search at anytime. The current system was so limited, all you could do was delete and start over again.

Users needed the ability to include boolean operators within their filtering experience, that could also be easily modified.

The Execution

Next was putting together the base UX design (sketching, white board sessions, wireframes, low and high fidelity mock ups and then an interactive prototype) based off of our research findings. We identified these key areas:

Organize category operators

Challenge: Each category had at least five unique operators and up to ten choices on how to search for it.

Solution: We rethought how the interaction should take place, based off of user research and customer feedback. Users wanted simpler options and the ability to modify their choices.

Category operators became easier to read

Quick Picks + Interaction

Challenge: The only interaction with a search was to type, select and delete. You could not modify, only delete.

Solution: We completely opened up how you interacted with search by allowing the user to modify the attribute, operator and value at any point. In addition, we created Quick Picks - an easy visual reference for customers when selecting some of the more popular filter choices.

Operators became easier to read and Quick Picks helped choice selection

Quick Starts

Challenge: No visual help was given to aid the user in their search.

Solution: Quick Starts (robust filter button groups) allowed you to quickly turn things on/off, and visually represented the most popular filtering options.

Quick Starts replaced a blank search field

Boolean Operators

Challenge: The previous search did not allow for any boolean operators, users had to perform additional searches after each one to string things together.

Solution: Users would now have the ability to place (and/or) boolean operators after each filtered search option.

Search operators were easy to change

Save Search

Challenge: The previous search did not allow saved searches. Users had to delete the current search and start completely over.

Solution: Customers would now be able to save their searches! This was the most requested feature from the Vyopta customer base. In addition, customers could now access their recent search history and view all saved searches.

Users had access to recent history and all saved searches

Outcome & Results

We achieved our goal of completely rebuilding and delivering a new search + filter system within six months.

We delivered the number one most featured request, at that time, in giving customers the ability to save a search and reuse later.

The ability to break apart and modify how you filter, helped renew existing customers who wanted an easier approach.

Quick Starts completely rethought how customers would first see and interact with all searches.