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People Search & Filtering

B2B HR Platform

Project overview

Across the platform’s suite of products, the people search functionality had grown fragmented. Different teams had implemented their own filters, layouts, and behaviors. This led to inconsistent experiences and unreliable results, making it hard for users to trust the data or complete tasks efficiently. To solve this, we needed to unify the experience, but we couldn’t tackle everything at once.



We began with the platform's most heavily trafficked search page, which receives over 14 million views per month and serves as a daily home base for thousands of HR administrators.



Project goals

  • Restore trust in search
  • Set a scalable foundation for people search across the platform
  • Rebrand from “employee” to “person” to better represent the full user lifecycle and incorporate “non-employee” archetypes (e.g., recruiting candidates, new hires in onboarding, 1099 contractors)


Role & team

I was the Lead Product Designer on this initiative, responsible for the end-to-end design process from discovery through delivery. I worked closely with a Product Manager, an Engineering Manager, and five Engineers. I also partnered with a UX Researcher on usability testing and collaborated with the design system team to define and codify scalable patterns.


Process


Discovery
I began by taking inventory of all of the people search experiences across the platform, identifying inconsistencies in filtering, layout, and behavior. I cross-referenced those flows with the filters Product had flagged as key requirements, aiming to build a foundation that could support needs across the suite, not just this one page.

I then conducted a thorough analysis of the Employee Search page itself, examining usage patterns, support tickets, and previous feedback. This helped me define core user archetypes, everyday use cases, and key pain points. I also conducted a competitive analysis to assess modern conventions in search, filtering, and data table layout. This helped ground our direction in best practices.


Design & iteration
With a clear picture of user needs and platform constraints, I began wireframing design concepts and created a robust wireframe proposal that encompassed the full set of desired functionality. This prototype facilitated initial conversations with Engineering and enabled quicker design iterations as I moved into higher fidelity.





As the design evolved, I paid particular attention to filter behavior, layout consistency, and accessibility across screen sizes. I collaborated closely with the design system team to ensure components were aligned with platform standards. Where gaps existed, we codified new patterns together.



Usability testing
To pressure-test the new experience, I partnered with a UX researcher to define goals, develop a test plan, and recruit users. We set out to test how easily users could find filters, how well new interaction patterns performed, and where we could continue improving the design.

I ran six moderated sessions with active users of the current Employee Search page. Overall, participants found the new layout intuitive and completed tasks with ease. However, some supplemental actions were unclear, so I iterated on labeling and positioning to improve clarity. I also surfaced broader visual concerns to the design system team for follow-up.

MVP design
After incorporating testing feedback, I finalized the MVP design and supported implementation through sprint planning, handoff documentation, ongoing engineering check-ins, and design QA.





The redesigned experience launched in phases: Beta, Early Access, and General Availability. It received positive internal and customer feedback. It also served as a reference model for future search experiences, unlocking new platform-level initiatives, including Natural Language Search and updates to our filtering system.


Outcomes

  • Resolved 6 of the top customer-reported feedback requests related to Employee Search, impacting $21.5M+ in revenue.
  • Improved customer satisfaction by increasing system reliability, improving search accuracy, and addressing long-standing admin pain points.
  • Established reusable patterns that informed additional roadmaps to consolidate people search experiences.


Next steps

  • Continue usability iteration and simplification based on customer feedback.
  • Extend patterns across modules (e.g., Benefits, Recruiting, Reporting).
  • Partner with the universal search initiative to ensure a consistent, intuitive people-search experience.
  • Explore support for natural language search queries.


Reflection

This project challenged me to strike a balance between platform consistency and immediate customer needs. By starting with Employee Search, we were able to address a high-impact problem while building scalable patterns for the entire suite. The phased rollout, combined with usability testing, ensured we delivered immediate value while laying the groundwork for long-term impact.

One area for improvement was the design QA process. Starting it earlier would have reduced rework toward the end. Still, the team rallied to uphold quality, and I’m proud of how we closed out the release.