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Increasing Platform Discoverability:
Case Study
Note: To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of my current employer.
My Role
My Role
🤔 Concepting / ✏️ Sketching / 📝 Wireframing / 🎨 UI/UX Design /
🔍UX Research / 🤖 Prototyping
Tools
Tools
Figma
Platform
Platform
Desktop
Timeline
Timeline
3 Months
The Business Problem:
Underwriters spent 15+ minutes per task navigating search, leading to a total abandonment of the tool in favor of manual lookups.
A cluttered, legacy search interface hindered rapid data parsing and decision-making.
The existing framework lacked alignment with the new corporate visual identity and design system.
The Strategic Solution:
My solution clearly define search experience from a basic query tool into a robust discovery engine.
Working with developers we introduced a Faceted Navigation System to handle deep-keyword indexing, enabling Underwriters to drill down into specific rule-sets instantly.
Additionally, separated "Rating Information" from the primary results this reduced cognitive load by allowing users to focus on core search parameters while maintaining instant access to high-priority rating data.
The Result:
Strategic redesign of the search architecture led to a 20% increase in platform engagement within the first 30 days of launch.
By implementing advanced faceted filtering, I reduced the time-to-info for Underwriters (UW), allowing them to pinpoint critical data with significantly fewer clicks.
Leveraged the enterprise design system to deliver modular components, resulting in a 30% reduction in engineering build time.
Improved UI clarity and "self-service" discovery directly contributed to a 15% decrease in support ticket volume and 100% alignment with the updated corporate brand identity.
Platform to Update
Above current internal platform search function.
Search Filter:
Top: The search filtering system suffered from high visual noise and a flat information hierarchy, leading to "choice paralysis" for users. The absence of mandatory field indicators further compromised data integrity.
Tab Results:
The Issue: The interface forced a "blind" interaction model, where the relationship between inputs and outcomes was obscured behind hidden states. This created high interaction cost and user uncertainty.
What’s New section:
Suffered from low engagement due to poor visual hierarchy and information density.
Saved Search and Saved Collections Section:
The current "Saved Search" and "Saved Collections" modules lack critical collaboration and governance features, creating friction in team-based workflows.
New Search Filters:
I re-engineered the filter architecture by implementing logical grouping and a tiered hierarchy.
I introduced clear visual signifiers for required inputs and utilized whitespace to delineate complex filter categories, streamlining the user's decision-making process.
Clear definition with Mandatory and Non Mandatory inputs.
Customizable Filters button that were requested by Business for future expansions.
Underwriters can now add and save there own customizable filters.
Customizable Filters:
Implemented a drag-and-drop reordering system using a standard 6-dot grab handle, ensuring a familiar mental model for layout manipulation.
Integrated a "View/Hide" toggle (eye icon) to allow users to declutter their interface without losing access to secondary metadata.
Added a "Make Current Settings My Favorite" feature. This is a critical senior-level detail—it moves the design from a "one-time fix" to a persistent, personalized workspace that remembers user preferences across sessions.
The "active" state during the drag (the hand cursor and highlighted row) provides immediate system feedback, confirming the user’s intent and reducing interaction errors.
What's New section:
Suffered from low engagement due to poor visual hierarchy and information density.
I redesigned the module to utilize progressive disclosure, moving from high-level summaries to detailed release notes. This reduced cognitive load while increasing feature adoption rates by surfacing only the most relevant updates.
Saved Search and Saved Collections Section
Business needed Integrated a "Link" sharing mechanism to streamline cross-functional collaboration and implemented a "Business Admin Approval" status to ensure data alignment and institutional compliance.
Results section:
Clearly labeling required fields (asterisks) and utilizing standard dropdown components, we reduce choice paralysis and guide the user through a linear logical flow.
Inclusion of a prominent, high-contrast primary action button ("SEARCH") provides a clear call-to-action (CTA), eliminating the ambiguity of the previous "click to see results" instruction
By embedding result counts (e.g., "1531 results") directly into the category tabs, we provide users with information scent, allowing them to prioritize their exploration without clicking blindly.
The high-contrast blue "Active" state for tabs (such as "Forms") ensures the user always has clear spatial awareness within the platform’s information architecture.
Warning banner (notifying users of 5,000+ results) serves as a proactive friction point, encouraging users to refine their filters to avoid data overwhelm.
Top navigation now includes a persistent keyword search bar, allowing for secondary filtering without losing the primary categorical context.
Consolidated utility actions like "Export" and "Bulk Actions" into a single header, reducing the need for redundant buttons in the "Saved" sections.
Using sortable headers and consistent text alignment, we’ve improved the F-pattern scanning efficiency for users looking for specific identifiers like Form Numbers or Line of Business.
Retrospective:
Challenge: Adding deep filtering and favoriting tools (as seen in my "Filter Engine" designs) risked cluttering the UI for casual users.
Takeaway: We kept the primary search bar clean but hid advanced "Power User" tools under a persistent but non-intrusive settings panel. In retrospect, I would have conducted a separate A/B test specifically on the "Favorite" button to see if users preferred it in the sidebar or directly within the result cards.
The Result: Search architecture led to a 20% increase in platform engagement within the first 30 days of launch. This project reinforced the value of Stakeholder Alignment. By involving the Product Managers early in the wireframing phase, we avoided "Scope Creep" and stayed focused on the KPI of "Time to Result" rather than just visual aesthetics.
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