Hi designers!
Welcome to the 26th edition of the CUxD newsletter – a curated set of learnings, inspiration, resources, and tips. I’m Clément, Internal Community Lead, and I’ll be writing to you on behalf of CUxD every week.
If you’re not familiar with CUxD (Cornell User Experience Design), we’re a centralized community for UI, UX, and product designers at Cornell. We learn and grow together both professionally and socially!
Want to be more learn more about UX design?
Table of Contents
Learning time - Search & filtering systems
Every week, we’ll explore a topic in design. This week, we’ll talk about designing search & filtering systems. They’re one of the most powerful (but overlooked) UX systems in digital products.
Start with “search” vs “browse”
Before designing anything, it’s useful to think about if your users are trying to look up something specific, or are they exploring options?
For example, Search usually supports a goal driven behavior (eg: “Nike Air Max size 9”), while Filters support discover (”Running shoes under $150”). You’ll find that often times, products need both working together.
A prominent search bar paired with quick-access filter chips supports both direct lookup and lightweight browsing
Design smart filter hierarchies
Not all filters should be given the same importance. Show the most-used filters first, generally like price, category, availability, etc. It’s also a good idea to group related filters together to keep them organized. Also, avoid overwhelming users with 20+ visible options at once – to solve this, you can use progressive disclosures.
Grouped, collapsible filters with result counts help users narrow options without feeling overwhelmed
Make states visible and reversible
Users should have always know things like:
What filters are applied
How many results are left
How to to undo selections
Pills are a common way to display filters, and you can make them removable by adding an X “close” icon button. Also, offer a clear “Reset all” option when things get a bit messy.
Visible filter pills and a clear “Reset all” action make applied states easy to understand and undo
Conclusion
To finish off, search and filtering systems are decision-making tools. A well-designed systems helps users move from confusion to clarity. When it feels effortless, users are far more likely to stay, explore, and covert!
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Advice from a fellow designer
About
Hi! My name is Jessica Andrews, I’m a senior majoring in ISST, concentrating in UX and IT, and minoring in AI. I’m from Albany, NY.
Fav Figma shortcut
My favorite shortcut is probably Shift + C to hide comments because I leave a ton of comments, and it’s helpful to hide them when I’m sharing or presenting my work.
Previous work experience
Quantitative UXR Intern @ Kenvue
Product Designer @ Hack4Impact on ACT and ReThink Food
UX Intern at Capital One
Design Lead @ Hack4Impact
Proudest design project
My proudest design project was my work with Alaska Children’s Trust through Hack4Impact. This was my first opportunity to work on a real client-facing design project, which made it especially meaningful to me. ACT was also special because of its nuanced problem space. Designing for families and internet safety required us to balance interactivity and emotional sensitivity while thinking carefully about how to improve an existing system without overengineering a solution, ultimately creating something engaging, effective, and accessible. I had the opportunity to work on a 0–1 product with feedback from real stakeholders alongside experienced designers, which pushed me to grow quickly. Overall, this project was a turning point that helped me gain confidence in my ability to design thoughtfully within real-world, complex problem spaces.
Advice
One piece of advice I would give is that there are many different paths to becoming a “good” designer. Especially at Cornell, it can be easy to compare yourself to others or put “good” product design into a box. In reality, the design industry values a wide range of strengths and adjacent experiences, and finding your niche is one of the best ways to stand out and build confidence. I initially started in data science and user research before transitioning into product design, and I actually failed to join Hack4Impact’s design team three times! Looking back, those experiences ultimately came together and helped me grow into a research-driven designer who thinks strategically about products and can navigate complex problem spaces. I think that leaning into your unique background and strengths can be one of the most powerful ways to shape your design journey.
Design inspiration
Some cool designs for your dopamine hit!
Outro
That’s all for this week!
Have any feedback or want to see something on the newsletter next week? Email us at [email protected] or reply directly to this email.
See you soon,
Clément @ CUxD