PROJECT OVERVIEW
The innovation team was tasked with creating a proof of concept (POC) for a unified search service—a product designed to give customers a seamless way to search across internal and external platforms.
users currently struggle with fragmented, inconsistent search experiencesthat waste time, cause frustration, and erode trust in results. Without a reliable, company-wide search solution, many default to external tools like Google—risking lost insights and lowered productivity.
What’s breaking down in our users’ native search journeys?
Could a unified search service finally solve these pain points and empower customers?
This project supported broader goals of improving search efficiency, reducing friction, and restoring trust in internal tools.
I addressed these challenges through research, resulting in 3 strategic aims:
🎯 Understand User Search Behaviors
Deeply uncover how customers currently search and where they face challenges.
🎯 Validate the Need for Unified Search
Confirm whether a seamless, cross-platform search solves real user problems.
🎯 Shift Focus to User-Centered Design
Move the team’s mindset from competitor benchmarking to solving authentic customer needs.
Budget
$1m
Team
Lead UX Researcher, 1 UX Designer
2 Product Owners, 1 Sr. Business Lead
Timeline
4 weeks
Research Goals & Approach
We used a two-pronged research approach to map customers’ native search journeys, uncover unmet needs, and ensure the product direction was driven by users — not competitors.
RG1: Analyze users’ behaviors, experiences, and patterns during native search across multiple platforms to reveal pain points and unmet needs.
RG2: Evaluate whether a unified search capability across company products addresses real user needs and improves search efficiency.
RG3:Investigate why previous internal search solutions failed, considering reach, placement, and content, to guide future design improvements.
🌱 DISCOVERY
Stakeholder Interviews
Requirements Gathering
🧠 DESIGN THINKING
Affinity Map
🔬 RESEARCH
8 1:1 Interviews
Facilitation Guide
Surveys
Thematic Analysis
💡 SOLUTION DESIGN
Process Flow Map
Internal & External Stakeholder Presentations
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Align stakeholders and uncover critical gaps and breakdowns in user search journeys to inform a strategic, user-centered discovery framework.
⚙️ Conducted stakeholder interviews to surface critical gaps and conflicting user needs in search journeys.
⚙️ Gathered and analyzed user requirements to identify patterns and clarify search behaviors.
⚙️ Mapped current search workflows to highlight bottlenecks and breakdowns impacting user experience.
📦 Affinity Map v0
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Lead collaborative affinity mapping workshops to uncover patterns, gaps, and alignments in user search journeys that drive focused and strategic user research.
⚙️ Facilitated affinity mapping workshops to uncover patterns, gaps, and alignments in current user search journeys.
📦 Affinity Map
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Validate insights and uncover search behaviors to inform product direction.
⚙️ Conducted 8 1:1 semi-structured interviews to uncover search behaviors and validate pain points shaping product direction.
⚙️ Synthesized interview and survey data using thematic analysis to identify recurring pain points and unmet needs.
📦 Facilitation Guide, Survey, Thematic Analysis
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Translate user insights into prioritized opportunities that inform product strategy and roadmap decisions.
⚙️ Created a process flow map of the unified search journey to expose opportunities and define next steps.
⚙️ Presented insights to internal and external stakeholders to align teams and guide solution design.
📦 Process Flow Map, Presentations
Challenges
Teams were focused on competitors, not users.
User search data was fragmented and unclear.
Reframed the problem to prioritize real user pain points and validate the need for a unified search solution.
Synthesized diverse insights to reveal patterns, gaps, and high-priority opportunities.
''
I can’t always tell which results are relevant, so I end up wasting time or just giving up and going to Google when I’m in a rush.
– Candidate 7
Key Discoveries
Insight
Solution
Impact
Search Behaviors & Motivators
Insight 1: Users start searching broadly, fueled by client inquiries. They iteratively narrow searches based on experience and trust. ▸
- Familiarity with the application guides search behavior.
- Trust in results is never absolute; users continuously assess relevance.
Solution 1: Guide users from broad to narrow searches with contextual cues. Build trust and reduce friction. ▸
- Simplify interface to reduce cognitive load.
- Provide contextual cues and trust signals to guide iterative refinement.
Impact
Increased early engagement
Reduced abandonment
Higher completion rates
Search Refinement & Relevancy
Insight 2: Users struggle to judge relevance mid-search, and may abandon under time pressure. ▸
- Users don’t know immediately which results are relevant.
- Lack of clarity leads to abandonment.
- Time pressure accelerates drop-off.
Solution 2: Surface strong signals and refinement mid-search; prevent abandonment. ▸
- Highlight top results to help users quickly judge relevance.
- Provide rapid refinement paths(filters, smart suggestions).
- Reduce uncertainty with cues that prevent drop-off.
Impact
Reduced mid-search abandonment
Increased confidence in results
Higher search efficiency
Searching Under Time Pressure
Insight 3: Under time pressure, users skip internal search and rely on Google, risking missed insights. ▸
- Time constraints prevent exploration of alternative workflows.
- Users rely on familiar tools (Google, intranets) for critical tasks.
Solution 3: Surface critical results quickly; Reduce friction, and integrate trusted resources. ▸
- Surface essential results immediately.
- Streamline workflows to minimize friction.
- Integrate trusted internal resources to prevent Google fallback.
Impact
Reduced search abandonment
Faster task completion
Increased usage of internal resources
Segmented User Needs
Insight 4: Within persona archetypes, subgroups have unique search needs. Overlooking them creates friction and limits adoption. ▸
They scan for:
- Subgroups have workflows that differ from the main persona.
- Overlooking these differences creates misaligned experiences.
Solution 4: Design for distinct subgroups; align features to their needs to improve search efficiency and adoption. ▸
- Align features to subgroup behaviors to reduce friction.
- Keep workflows consistent across platforms.
- Address overlooked needs to improve adoption and satisfaction.
Impact
Reduced search friction
Higher segment adoption
Improved cross-platform satisfaction
