Tripaneer - Optimized Search Bar Experience
I audited the search bar, identified friction points, and redesigned its flow and UI using structured funneling and refined interactions —> making search faster and easier to use.
Introduced in-search guidance
To help users find what they need faster
50% cut
In time spend on using the Search Bar Logic
Reduced Cognitive Load
From multi-step search to a streamlined funnel
Challenges
Search acted as a filter, not an intent entry point
Categories overlapped, with no hierarchy reflected in the UI
Filters forced early commitment, before users understood their options
No fallback for users who didn't know what to search for
Constraints
Fixed backend filtering logic
Limited development time
Multiple Funnels
Limited room for IA changes
My Approach -> User Archetypes
Searching is not all about "The Search Bar".
These findings became the foundation for multiple parts of the search experience -> homepage, search results page, mega menu, and filters.
From this shared research, we extracted the specific requirements that shaped the search bar redesign
Why & How these archetypes were created ?
These three archetypes, Focused, Explorer, and Comparer, came from user interviews, not assumptions.
I noticed users weren't just searching for different things, but arriving in different decision states: some had already decided, some wanted inspiration, some were comparing shortlisted options. We grouped their behaviors (how they used search, filters, and navigation) under these three states.
IA
Redesigning the IA helped create organized, meaningful funnels that ease user navigation.
It also brought clarity to what should be a page versus what should be a filter, and how to build progressive disclosure through funneling —> guiding users step by step toward what's relevant instead of showing everything at once.
Strategy & Trade-offs
The trade-off
Some high-impact changes are delayed, but overall progress continues without being blocked by technical dependencies or challenging business priorities.
E.g., Although important, funneling through the contextual search tab was delayed due to backend logic needing fixes, but overall search bar improvements were implemented.
Before
2 ambiguous field with mixed results
No fallback suggestions
Rigid date picker
Hidden category hierarchy
No compound queries search
No search history
No Clear CTA
After
Split by intent
Focused Funnel
Fallback features
Flexible & Intuitive date picker
Supports compound querie
Remembers Past Searches
Clear CTA
Reflections
This was a complex task with multiple connected parts —> breadcrumbs, filtering, a personalized search bar for other website pages, and search results page logic. Working through it pushed me to think in systems rather than isolated tasks. Although the original brief was only to make small updates to the search bar, I discovered several opportunities for improvement and went above and beyond to find the right solution.
Looking back, one thing I'd do differently is start with the information architecture first, rather than later.