Enterprise Search - How to triage problems quickly and prescribe the right medicine

Helen Lippell @octodude

Enterprise Search -How to triage problems quickly and

prescribe the right medicine

Search Solutions 27 Nov 2013

(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

Agenda

•Methodology for triaging search problems•Emphasis on workability

Start from where you are

“Search is rubbish!” • What’s the perception?• What’s not working?• Who says so?• Users• Senior management• Other stakeholders• Noisy stakeholders

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?

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

1.User needs2.Content3.User interface4.Technology5.People and process

1. User needs

Data, data and more data• Get query logs• Analyse them• Repeat…

• User intent• Initially focus on a big hit• Then make the process sustainable

2. Content

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• Duplicates• Redundant, outdated, trivial content• Start with a small representative sample• Do some quick searches for content howlers: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

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?

3. User interface

Search UI• Many excellent design resources out there – read them!

Focus on quick wins

• Seek out guerilla user feedback• Eliminate clutter• Review information on each result• Facets and filters

4. Technology

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

5. People and process

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

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

Thanks

helenlippell@gmail.com@octodude