Transcript Enterprise Search How to triage problems quickly and prescribe the right medicine Search Solutions 27 Nov 2013 Helen Lippell @octodude.

Enterprise Search How to triage problems quickly and
prescribe the right medicine
Search Solutions 27 Nov 2013
Helen Lippell @octodude
(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?
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Users
Senior management
Other stakeholders
Noisy stakeholders
Who owns Search?
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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
Content
creation
Information
management
Search tech
management
1.User needs
2.Content
3.User interface
4.Technology
5.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
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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Redundant, outdated, trivial content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
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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
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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
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Seek out guerilla user feedback
Eliminate clutter
Review information on each result
Facets and filters
4. Technology
Search platform
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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
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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
[email protected]
@octodude