Linknovate
Search engine for emerging technologies
Project overview
Client: Linknovate
Time: 3 weeks
Role: User Research, Design, Testing
Linknovate is a platform for scouting new, emerging technologies and organizations. It helps people stay up to date with news from within their industry. It scans and analyzes millions of data sources about competitors, innovations and new market opportunities.
For this 3-week design sprint we had an opportunity to work on its newsfeed part, called InnoBits.
Meet the Dream Team:
Kate Zapart
UX Designer
Dana Shroyer
UX Designer
Kurin Tu
UX Designer
The Problem:
Our client recently introduced a new newsfeed service - Innobits, but most of the users did not know how to use it. As a result it was hardly used at all.
Users were unaware of sharing features on the platform that would allow them to collaborate with their peers and as a result increase number of licenses sold by Linknovate.
The Solution:
We merged the new newsfeed with the rest of the platform, so that the users are not made to constantly jump between two services.
We introduced a lot of elements to make it more intuitive for the user to understand visually how the search engine and collaboration features work.
Our focus
Collaboration
Most people using our product work in innovation departments of large corporations. These are very competitive fields and, as a result, the business does not advertise through the word of mouth. Increasing collaboration between people in the same client company is a good opportunity for growth in user licenses.
User Engagement
People can mark each search result as relevant or not relevant. It refines their search results over time. Unfortunately no one uses it, because they do not understand how it works and how it could benefit them.
Consistency
Linknovate is a very complex product. We found a lot of inconsistent and confusing user flows that needed to be fixed in order for the users to understand what was going on.
A brief into to Linknovate
The old platform was divided into 2 services
InnoBits - Newsfeed
A monitoring tool, where people can store their searches or, as they are called on the website, “alerts”. It prioritizes recent information as a way of keeping the users up to date with the latest news in their fields. The data is shown in the form of a newsfeed.
It uses a machine learning algorithm to prioritize the content that is more likely to be relevant for the user. The user can then rate or “like” it if they find it relevant and “dislike” it to mark it as not relevant. That process further improves the accuracy of the algorithm and the future recommendations.
InnoScout - Search Engine
A platform that provides more in-depth data about the search. It computes many data points and shows them in a form of complex relationships, insights, data analytics, etc. At its core, it is a very powerful search engine, which utilizes the use of multiple keywords and boolean logic (AND and OR).
Confusing search flow
Heuristics Evaluation
1. The link takes the user to a new window for a full search
2. Search bar takes the user to InnoScout
3. No option to change user profile and password
4. Search feature only allows for one search term
5. Powerbits - needs 10 likes to activate and it is unclear what it does
6. New alerts appear at the bottom and cannot be sorted
7. Newsfeed text are left-right justified, which makes it hard to read
8. Time stamp, likes/dislikes, relevance meter, and category icons are unclear and not grouped with similar elements
9. Suggestion search terms start a different search in InnoScout
What was really striking to us in our initial evaluation was the inconsistency of the search feature. In InnoBits, it was only possible to search for a single term (no. 4).
That made the whole search feature not very effective. For the algorithm to work its magic, the users needed to input a variety of keywords.
As a result, to make the search even remotely useful, the users were forced to switch services (no. 1, 2, 9) and go to InnoScout to edit it.
Another issue was that a lot of page elements take the user to InnoScout with no easy way back to InnoBits.
A few users and a dream
Usability testing
Interviews
We were certainly very confused, but we had to stay objective. We really wanted to observe how other people usually interact with the website.
Our client was kind enough to put us in contact with 4 existing users of the platform. We also managed to find a few people with a background in research that agreed to try out the website.
In addition to the usability testing, we interviewed each participant about their experience.
Spoiler Alert: the struggle is real
The new users were overwhelmed
It was really interesting observing people try to navigate the website. We asked all the participants to stay within the InnoBits platform while performing a few tasks - adding a new search, editing it, organizing searches and sharing. We also asked a lot of questions about their understanding of the platform and typical use.
“What is happening?”
They did not understand what InnoBits, InnoScout or PowerBits meant.
They did not understand the unexpected jumping between InnoBits and InnoScout.
They did not understand the icons.
They did not understand what “alerts” meant.
They did not understand the “Likes”.
They did not understand how to refine their search.
Unused because of hidden and lacking functionalities
Existing users kept jumping to InnoScout looking for more functionality. A majority of them admitted they don’t even use InnoBits much. It had been recently introduced and they didn't know much about the platform. According to them, it just does not provide the features they need.
TL;DR People just did not understand how to use the platform
Meet the Innovator!
“Google is not efficient enough"
Bio
The innovator is a lead researcher at an innovation division of a medium to large organization or corporation. They are tasked with researching new innovative technologies and applying it to new sectors.
Goals
I want to be up to date with the latest news in my field
I want to share the information with my teammates, colleagues and other departments
I want to be able to find the information easily and quickly
Needs
I want to refine the quality of the search over time
I want to organize my projects freely
I want to know where I left off on the newsfeed
Frustrations
Missing out on important information
Confused on how to use InnoBits effectively
Can’t organize projects
Not sure how the algorithm works
Always improving
How people search for information
What was interesting while observing people perform a new search is that everyone starts with a broad search first. Next, they check the results and refine their search until they are satisfied with the results. This allowed us to define a natural user flow of how people would navigate the website.
Untangling the Gordian Knot
Sitemaps
We needed to get a better understanding of the whole picture and analyze the connections between the different subpages. We decided to make a series of sitemaps that would help us visualize the complex relationships between different parts of the platform.
The artificial divide
The main source of the problem
After analyzing all the data, the main problem with the usability became very obvious. It was the artificial separation between two services - InnoBits and InnoScout. The constant jumping between the two platforms was very confusing for the users. The newsfeed was cut off from the main platform and stripped of many functionalities making it rarely used.
One step back, four steps forward
New scope and the real problems
The separation was the core issue. It was impossible to ignore and needed our immediate attention. This posed a big dilemma for us. Merging two platforms together was very controversial from our client’s standpoint, who wanted us to concentrate our efforts on the newsfeed. The time was also not in our favor. We decided to do the best we can and design how the platform would look like from the newsfeed perspective assuming everything is connected.
Simple solutions for deconstructed problems
Freedom! Unifying the experience and grounding people in it
Users need to know where on the website they are at all times. They need to have all of the functionality available. The user flow needs to be consistent and uninterrupted.
Unified primary navigation showing all facets of each search, not just the newsfeed.
A visible way of making a new search that’s connected to the whole platform
The most useful search feature from InnoScout on every page of the merged platform. It gives the users the freedom to refine their searches whenever they feel like it.
Ability to refine searches using keywords. The option is available even from the article page.
One-click sharing and commenting
One of our user needs was the ability to collaborate. We provided them with the ability to share entire projects and articles with a simple click. All the users now have to do is select a recipient and type their comment. We also improved the visibility of sharing options and added clearly visible notifications about new comments.
>> The Power Bar <<
visualizing the algorithm
People needed help understanding how they can influence the algorithm and refine their search. We decided to provide them the visualization - the power bar.
The more they rate - the more both the bar and the search accuracy increases. That way the users have a visual representation that the actions they take have real impact. We also changed the “thumbs up” icon to an arrow, to imply movement up in the newsfeed. We also wanted it to feel more objective and less social-media like.
Filtering and sorting
Another important element for the users was saving time and being able to see only the newest information. They explicitly expressed the need for being able to filter the content and sort it based on relevance. We decided to introduce just that - the ability to filter and sort content simultaneously.
Visual clean-up
Lastly, we improved the visual hierarchy, prioritizing important UI elements and hiding or deprioritizing the least used ones. We also improved the scannability of the newsfeed.
New search - Before
Disconnected
New search - After
Merged into the platform
Old newsfeed
Separated from the rest of the platform
New newsfeed
Search option merged
Old article page
Separated from the rest of the platform
New article page
Collapsed search and keywords
Happy reunion of two long-lost friends
Once we implemented our idea, the workflow of the whole platform started feeling truly natural. Like it always should have been. It was easy to forget how confusing the whole experience used to be.
But don’t take my word for it, let’s put it to the test
Being forever curious, we put our design to the test. We asked the previous users to perform the same tasks as before and interviewed them about their experience.
The users loved it
Everyone was able to complete all of the tasks. The users were really satisfied with the filtering options. Every single person mentioned them.
“It was easy for me to find the filters, it’s quite clear”
“I like the rating icon, it’s clear that up is for relevant and down is for not relevant”
Iterations and next steps
Testing and further integration
We completed 3 rounds of usability testing and improved upon our design each time.
Some of the users did not know if a project was shared with them, or whether they had shared it. From my observations, this issue arose only in people who used the old platform. It requires further testing and investigating. It might be worth implementing “Shared with me” and “Shared by me” folders.
Another thing that requires further testing is the location of the “New Comment” notification. Even though every person managed to find it, it wasn’t as quickly as we would like it to be.
A very important issue that needs to be addressed is the search feature itself. It uses boolean logic and is very unintuitive for the users. For this sprint we did not have the time to redesign it. It is a core feature of the website and making it more user friendly would prove very beneficial to the business.
Last, but not least, our scope of work included only the newsfeed part of the platform, but the InnoScout part needs to be redesigned as well to further improve the user experience.
What an adventure!
It was certainly the most difficult project I have worked on. It was also the most fun one. We took a big risk in merging the two platforms, but I think it was the right choice to make.
There is also something priceless about working on something super challenging with a team of very talented people. It felt refreshing having constant discussions about every aspect of the design. Each of us brought something different to the metaphorical table, and together, we helped each other improve.
I grew as a designer, I grew as a person, and in the end I made two very good friends.