Google: Local Search
MISSION
Help Search users to easily compare and discover the best place to visit or hire for their needs.
As the UX Lead for Place Explore (Categorical Search), I am accountable for the design strategy, execution and process of a team that focuses on the “Explore” and “Decide” portions of the end-to-end user journey in Local Search. I oversee an effort to design a global categorical search framework across hundreds of Search verticals and sub-verticals, as well as 5 workstreams that build towards the framework while solving for specific user needs.
GOAL
Redesign the local search experience in order to increase user engagement, reduce user friction and cognitive load
IMPACT
100+ local verticals (ex. Dining, Shopping, Services, Leisure, Commodities)
High volume query value and daily actives, significant segment of all daily Search queries at Google
Challenges
WORKSTREAMS
Process
EXAMPLE WORKSTREAM
Rich Experiences (Visual Search)
As the UX Lead for Visual Search, I guided the team through Google’s effort to bring more user-generated photography into the exploratory and decision-making process for Local users.
WORKSTREAM GOAL
BEFORE
In today’s search experience, it’s hard to get a sense of what a place is all about when exploring options.
The user must tap 4 times if they want to experience photos of a place from Search.
Approach
V1 (MVP) RELEASE
A new surface within Search that allows users to explore photos of places across all verticals, to aid in inspiration, comparison and decision-making.
