Search Filter Design
Cognism, a leader in sales intelligence with over 9,000 daily users, helps GTM teams find the right prospects at the right time.
Its advanced firmographic and demographic search filters are the most heavily used part of the product, where users spend the most time. Shortly after joining, I saw opportunities to improve these filters, but other priorities delayed action.
A year later, I led an initiative to transform the product, providing the perfect chance to rebuild the filters from the ground up - with an unexpected result!
Research
Despite limited time to focus on improvements, I proactively investigated the challenges with our filters over 12 months. By analysing usage data, conducting basic usability tests, and gathering feedback from users and stakeholders, I aimed to build a compelling case for change that I could present to management.
Users often struggled to locate or use filters effectively, largely due to basic UX issues. The most surprising discovery came from a conversation with VP of Product Engineering, Ivan Klaric. I learnt that each user selection or keystroke in the filters triggered a backend call. With 9,000 daily users, the current design led to an annual infrastructure cost exceeding $800,000—a figure increasing as the company grew.
Design
Cognism underwent a significant shift in product strategy after I presented a design concept that received high praise from the C-suite, board, and investors—hailed as "the future of Cognism." I was appointed Lead Product Designer for an entirely new product, Sales Hub, providing the perfect opportunity to apply the insights I had gathered over the previous year.
I redesigned the firmographic and demographic search filters from the ground up, addressing key usability challenges while also collaborating with key stakeholders in Engineering and Data to significantly reduce infastructure costs.
Implementation
The newly designed filters and UI were presented to a range of users and internal stakeholders during a Beta test of Sales Hub. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly around the clarity and ease of use. I also received valuable input on additional filters that could complement the product.
The MVP product was launched shortly after, featuring a reduced number of filters to limit scope, while still offering core functionality that could be built upon.
Outcome
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read about my work.
The outcomes of this project were every Product Designer’s dream! By listening to people and understanding their needs, I made simple changes to an existing UI that had a substantial impact. These improvements not only enhanced the user experience but also reduced Engineering costs by a projected $650,000 per annum—a c.80% cost reduction.
This success demonstrated the value of design to the wider business, converting skeptics into enthusiastic supporters who now understand how to leverage design in other areas.
The search filters became a valuable addition to SaaSy, the company’s design system, with the flexibility to be used across a range of products.
