Project Goals

Fine-Tuning Search Precision
Our goal was clear – to amplify users' search results accuracy across three dimensions: Users looking for a specific school, local area explorers, movers to new areas.

Aesthetic Transformation
‍We aimed to refine our search results page by displaying essential information upfront. Our intention was to entice users to explore further by quickly spotting schools that matched their preferences.

Elevating Map Interactions
‍We set out to craft an interactive map experience which made it easier for users to visualize school locations and their surroundings.

Research

Our journey kicked off with thorough user research. Through surveys, interviews, and behavior analysis, we unearthed user pain points and preferences. Some key points that we discovered:

Survey
We found that the majority of users on our site were searching for new schools in their current city.

Usability Testing
Demonstrated that we needed to invest in our search input and results. Users searching by school names struggled to retrieve schools near their location (imagine a user searching for "Washington Elementary," and finding hundreds across the country!)

Empowering the Search

Splitting the Search
‍Our solution? Splitting the search into "what" (school name or keyword) and "where" (location) fields. This precision-guided approach allowed users to define their search criteria more specifically, resulting in spot-on results.

"Pre-Filters" for Quick Navigators
‍We made Filters accessible with a dropdown in the search input. Users could now fine-tune their results right from the start.

Auto-filling Intent
‍Understanding that 50% of users intend to search within their current city, we introduced geo-tracking to autofill users current location in the "where" field. Additionally, to make searching easier, we added an autoloading feature for name and location when users start typing.

Redesigning Search Page

Card Transformation
We transformed the Redesign Search Results Page by introducing Cards that display crucial information upfront, such as school name, ratings, grades served, and location. This approach streamlined the process, helping users make quicker decisions and promptly identify their ideal schools.

Updated UI
‍Redesigned UI gives the search page a modern and visually appealing look that aligns with our brand aesthetic. This consistency provides users a sense of familiarity and trust while interacting with the platform.

Enhanced Mapping

Clickable Cards
We redesigned the map to showcase clickable markers representing schools. Clicking on these markers revealed a pop-up with more details.

Interactive Map
‍Users could interact with the map by panning, zooming, and filtering the radius based on their preferences.

Filters Modal

By implementing a filters modal, we enabled users to discover schools that aligned more closely with their personal criteria. This enhancement led to improved matches, as users could now identify schools that better suited their needs.

User Feedback

Discoverability
Through testing, we realized that users sometimes struggled to close out their default location. To enhance discoverability, we introduced a clear 'X' button in the search bar.

Card Clarity
User feedback highlighted confusion about ratings and reviews. To address this, we're revisiting the card design to ensure these points are crystal clear.

Navigational Enhancements
A/B testing is in progress to enhance navigation between list and map views, addressing users' struggles in switching between the two.

Results

94% of users searching by area use a filter
Drop-down filters proved to be highly effective, with 80% of users searching by area opting to search by grade level. The filters modal is predominantly used by users to filter by ratings.