WikiTELL Search Feature: UX & Technical Problem Solving

My Role and Responsibilities

Role: Website Designer and Graphic Design Coordinator
Organization: TELL Japan
Period: October 2020 – Present
Primary Platform: WordPress / Elementor
Additional Tools: Figma, TaxoPress, JetEngine, JetSmartFilters, WordPress themes, HTML/CSS, troubleshooting

Key Responsibilities:

• Search feature update

• Database architecture

• Custom post types, filtering

• Improve navigation by improving search results layout

• Create design mockups for a better responsive mobile web design

• WordPress and Elementor implementation

• Front-end testing, troubleshooting, and optimization

 The Problem

The TELL website highlights many of the organization's services, including WikiTELL. WikiTELL is a curated database that houses over 4,000 entries to help users go about their everyday lives in Japan. The database includes a lot of information, such as contact details for immigration lawyers, embassies, police stations, international hospitals, birth control options, mental health clinics, and networking groups. Community members and Lifeline Support Workers alike use the search function, so it needs to be in excellent shape.

In 2025, the search function began showing incorrect results. I narrowed the problem down to the JetEngine and JetSmartFilters plugins, which were updated after a recent WordPress update. I contacted an external backend developer, and we began working on the parameters, hierarchy, and mobile design issues.

  The Process

Because the search function showed incorrect results when queried, we started there. For example, when someone searched for 'Lifeline,' the first result was a Lifeline staff member's professional bio rather than the Lifeline page or even the Lifeline phone number. This was because JetSmartFilters wasn't pulling information from the correct source on the website, resulting in poor search-term accuracy. To fix the hierarchy issue, I used the Taxopress plugin to add tags and categories to better manage the website's taxonomy.

 The Outcome

The updated search function restored reliable search results and made it easier for users to find specific resources across TELL's large website, which houses almost 20 years of content. The improved parameters and filtering structure delivered better results, while the updated mobile layout made the search experience easier to use on smaller screens.

The update also resolved issues caused by the WordPress and plugin changes, allowing the website to continue serving both community members and Lifeline Support Workers without requiring users to manually navigate through hundreds of individual resources.

I constantly monitor the plugins that make up TELL's search function to ensure they work together correctly. Further search result optimization using the Taxopress plugin, Yoast, and Google Analytics is expected.

 View My Other Web Design Case Studies