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Helen Lippell @octodude
Enterprise Search -How to triage problems quickly and
prescribe the right medicine
Search Solutions 27 Nov 2013
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(I’m probably preaching to the converted)
•Search is important•Search is evolving• Big Data• Structured data and semantics• Search tools for business intelligence• Rise of open-source
•But for many users, enterprise search still isn’t what they need it to be
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Agenda
•Methodology for triaging search problems•Emphasis on workability
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Start from where you are
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“Search is rubbish!” • What’s the perception?• What’s not working?• Who says so?• Users• Senior management• Other stakeholders• Noisy stakeholders
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Who owns Search?• IT• Communications• Editorial• Library services• Someone else• None of the above, it’s a political football
• Who owns the data (and where is it)?• Who owns the technology?• Who, if anyone, is actually accountable?
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Where to start• Set realistic expectations
for the work• Support user journeys
across digital channels (and offline, if relevant)
• Great search is blend of disciplines
Information management
Search tech management
Content creation
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1.User needs2.Content3.User interface4.Technology5.People and process
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1. User needs
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Data, data and more data• Get query logs• Analyse them• Repeat…
• User intent• Initially focus on a big hit• Then make the process sustainable
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2. Content
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Garbage in, garbage out?• Content audit
• Duplicates• Redundant, outdated, trivial content• Start with a small representative sample• Do some quick searches for content howlers:
• “lorem ipsum”• “title goes here”• “deletethis”• “Arial bold 14”
• Metadata• Minimum to aim for: good page titles and descriptions/summaries• Tagging for different user groups• Date, author etc
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Search is not an island• Search within wider information ecosystem• Information architecture• Other navigation tools such as A-Z index• Easy to search from anywhere?
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3. User interface
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Search UI• Many excellent design resources out there – read them!
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Focus on quick wins
• Seek out guerilla user feedback• Eliminate clutter• Review information on each result• Facets and filters
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4. Technology
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Search platform• How easy is it to tinker with?• Has it been configured optimally?• Is the config documented and understood?• Set up test environment• Benchmark often
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5. People and process
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Hearts and minds• Ongoing quality management
• Accountability• Dedicated people resource• Regular editorial and tech tasks• Co-ordination across teams• Support and guidance to content authors
• Stakeholder workshops• Moans may be the best feedback• …as long as it’s not a big grumblefest
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Prescription• You can do triage quickly
• Prioritise areas for action• Identify recommendations
• Delineate quick wins and longer term strategy• Quick wins to stabilise and restore confidence• Iterate often and shout about improvements• Strategy and culture change take longer
• If search is very political, consider getting an outside perspective