MICROSOFT.COM SEARCH

Re-imagined corporate search to work across all Microsoft properties and to support future growth and development

Problems & Goals

Microsoft.com corporate website search is made up of multiple different site searches, with each product group having their own site and search. As a result, the burden was on customers to scope their searches for the results they wanted. User feedback indicated that users, for example, did not necessarily want to search only downloads just because they were in the download center. When it comes to search results, design can only go so far. In our case, the back end was not set up to search across other sites and return relevant results.

Solution & Impact

We created a Hub result page that pulled in results for each site, allowing the user to drill into results at their discretion. We also created Instant Answers showing top curated results for the most popluar search terms and unique Prodcut 360 pages. This decreased re-query rate by 50% and increased favorable click-through by 31% for the top key words that make up 80% of the search activity. Additionally, referrals to Store increased revenue 14%.

Responsibilities

Lean UX Process Research Lab testing and scope UX Design Visual Design Art direction for assets and templates

CURRENT ISSUES:

Scenario: User searches for a download, then re-queries for something that would not be in the downloads results

ISSUES

Only a very small set of Microsoft content is under the corporate search and every major site has their own search and results. Users do not know that, and shouldn’t. Most users think there is one result set for their search, not separate databases yielding different results.
When you search, the system assumes you are searching for content in the current site area.
Most users immediately look at their keyboard and start typing when they click into a Search field and never even see the scopes in the dropdown.
In Lab Tests we had user ask us, “Why are you assuming I’m looking for a download when I’m in the Download Center?”
The goal is to eventually have all Microsoft properties under one result set and search; we need to build a platform to unite search under one umbrella and sell it across other business groups.

UX PROCESS

Think > Make > Check > Repeat

Process & Philosophy

The Product planner and Dev on the project wanted to commit something different for corporate search. We began with research, data-gathering and brainstorming. However, we did something very unique for our team, since we had a very hands on Product Planner and Dev Lead. We locked ourselves in a room multiple times throughout the week to research and brainstorm.in order to have all minds on the same page with regard to patterns and design philosophy. We also worked on ways to get Business and Dev buy-in, getting them on board and passionate about what we were doing.

LAB TEST #1

What Structure?

After a card sorting test to determine which categories of content make sense to users, and hallway paper prototype mock-ups for fellow workers, we narrowed down different structures for organizing categories and types of search results. We lab tested our current structure, a structure based on Bing/Google, and the introduction of results in categories (vertical and horizontal layouts, and hybrids of all the above).

Search Results Structure Variations

Product 360’s

For general product search terms for Microsoft products (Surface, Xbox, Office, Windows…) we developed a new results page we called “Product 360’s” . It provides a quick and convenient way to find everything a customer needs to know about a product and key resources on one page. Users in lab testing loved these pages.

LAB TEST #2

What Interaction Model?

Once we narrowed down the structure options in Test 1 from user input, we built the best option in two interactive formats (both vertical and horizontal) as an alternative to the current experience.

Search Results Structure Variations

Product 360’s

Between the two lab tests, 19 out of 20 people preferred our new designs over the current search experience.

Key Findings

Organizing search content into categories facilitates easier viewing of search results. No need to “fish through a list”…more likely to interact with categories vs. a flat list of organic results.
User like the Top Result called out.
7/10 participants favored the vertical layout because scrolling left to right is not natural (All Windows 8 users favored horizontal scrolling).
The category menu (page navigation) gives a good overview of the page content and entices users to scroll to view more content.
It is clear that re-querying from a drill down page will navigate back to the Hub.
It is expected that the order of the search result categories would vary based on the search term. Dynamic categories.
Icons draw participants into reading the content.
The 'Product 360' page provides a quick and convenient way to find information about a Microsoft product. They are not expected but appreciated.

"This page looks like an organized list of all the categories of information I'll need. It'll make me find links faster this way."

- Participant 7

"Categories make it easier to look through the information. It's organized, and I was able to find videos right away and those are always helpful."

- Participant 4

THE SOLUTION

Structure

We created a system that can expand and grow to support all results type across Microsoft properties and that can adapt and generate more targeted and relevant results for the search term typed in.

1. Created categories of search results type to be used as building blocks.

2. The Hub page is the collection of these blocks and the search term and location of the search (the part of the website they search from) determines what blocks are displayed and in what order. Also, not all blocks are used for each term.

3. Category overview and in page navigation.

4. Category Drill-in Page is the page where you can see all results in that category, and you can sort and filter on this page. The goal is that the results on the Hub page are relevant so they user doesn’t need to go to the Drill-In Page.

The Flow. All searches and re-queries land user on the Hub page no matter where you search from, even if you are on a Drill-In Page.

The Hub Page

Example of the Hub results page for the popular search query for “Windows XP SP3"

1. Displayed a curated “Top Result” for the search term.

2. Created “Did You Know” content to provide tips, notifications, and subtleties to promote Microsoft’s latest offers for their search term.

3. Since “XP SP3” is a download the first category of results is “Downloads”.

4. Created “advertisements” in the results to promote Microsoft products relevant to the search term. Since Windows XP support was ending, we promoted new Windows 8 devices.

Category Drill-in

If the top four results for that category didn’t contain the result the user was looking for, they could click “See All” and drill into all results for that category. On this page they can filter and sort. Our philosophy was that if a user has to drill into these pages then we are not doing a good enough job providing results on the Hub page.

Product 360

For general product search terms for Microsoft products (Surface, Xbox, Office, Windows, and so on) we developed a new results page we called “Product 360". It provides a quick and convenient way to find everything a customer needs to know about the product and key resources on one page.