How To Get SharePoint Buy-In
Search and Architecture, Not Just Pretty Design
Some site owners may want to highlight specific content they feel is relevant based on search terms. One example might be an HR group that wants to place a suggestion or best bet on any search result for those users who search with the term “vacation” or “time-off.” The best bet would identify such documents as corporate vacation policy, or holiday schedule. This ensures that not only is the user finding easily relevant content but that content is specific and up to date.
A Look at Faceted Search
Traditionally a common way to blend search and navigation is through “faceted search.” Navigation menus are replaced with search menus and terms. Clicking on a navigation/search term returns the results and provides you with a dynamically generated menu to refine what you are looking to navigate to or search for in a blended experience of facets.
A good example of faceted search can be found on the B&H Photo/Video site. While working with B&H, I was asked to outline a plan for a dynamic categorization system that would allow products to reside within multiple categories so that faceted search could be used to find products, no matter what location in the “mental” hierarchy of the end user. B&H has implemented a dynamic search system for drilling down to the most granular level of product discovery through an intuitive, user-friendly interface.
When you first enter the B&H site, a list of categories is shown with an image for each major category, making it easy to select an area of interest.
Selecting the “digital cameras” sub-category under “photography” moves the user to a dynamically generated search page, allowing for the continued reduction of relevant search results based upon a filtered category list, brand or price. This offers users the ability to drill down further based upon their own criteria settings. Selecting a specific brand, as an example, brings up another level of search for that specific brand which allows filtering by eight different facets. This type of faceted search is an intuitive way to return massive amounts of information that can quickly be filtered down to a desired result.
There are many vendors seeking to make finding relevant information easier through tagging and tag clouds, metadata and taxonomy, better search and search refinement or other types of efforts in SharePoint 2010. The more data bloat that exists and more platform unification (consolidating of sites, and portals or different systems into one), the more important faceted search becomes, especially as the information worker starts to become more and more involved in the process.
Paraphrasing Peter Morville during his presentations on search patterns, “whoever draws the prettiest picture wins the funding.” Problems become more apparent as users abandon sites and applications because they cannot find the information needed to solve their immediate business problems no matter how striking or beautiful the interface.
We have looked at the important role search and navigation play in site design and how this ensures a more successful site. A well-architected site creates a clear, intuitive way to navigate and discover relevant information. This is reinforced through good search configuration and a strong metadata/tagging structure.
When users enter a site, they typically need to narrow down a broad base of information to a relevant set of facts, usable within the context of their business problem. An information architect’s role is to keep search as an integral component of the SharePoint user interface. This ensures end-user adoption and acceptance, one of the most difficult aspects of migrating to a new system.
Global 360’s process and document management solution leverages SharePoint 2007 or 2010 to move beyond content management and simple workflow. Users can build robust, enterprise-class processes while still taking advantage of SharePoint’s strengths in content management, collaboration and user interface.