Session type: Main Conference Talk

Google has become synonymous with search, and voice platforms like Alexa are changing expectations from lists of potential results to a single "right" answer. In the face of well-performing, well-funded competitors like these, it might be tempting to throw in the towel entirely and assume that building your own site search or app search is no longer necessary. However, in truth, search has never been more important to driving great user experiences than it is today. To start, we'll look through some examples of content and navigational search done well and talk about why they work—for instance, Netflix responding to searches for films they don't currently have available for streaming with automated suggestions of similar films. We'll also look at some missed opportunities—for example, Washington Post not returning any relevant results for a search on "subscription" or "home delivery", or Wolfram|Alpha returning images of a moose when the user searches for pictures of a deer (because, obviously, a moose is part of the deer family!). We'll next discuss the changing audience expectations that users bring with them when they open search on your website or app—and what you can do to meet and exceed those expectations. Finally, we'll take a look into the crystal ball to see what today's technology developments (Voice! AR/VR! Machine Learning! Crypto!) might hold for the future of homegrown search applications.

Much like the physical environment, the digital experience for the guests at Disney Parks is one that should feel personal and make their vacation unique. Our team at Disney Parks and Resorts Digital was challenged with that task: create a digital ecosystem as dynamic as all the facets of a Disney vacation, which encompasses a hotel, restaurant, eCommerce, transportation hub, photo service, and entertainment planner. Improving an experience with a large feature set requires a strategy rooted in a growth mindset. Creating an intuitive ecosystem that both scales for the unknown and addresses a broad demographic requires alignment across multiple teams and tiers of leadership. Designers often play a crucial role in organizing and solving these challenges, but the greatest momentum is gained when a larger team can share a unified vision. Two product design leaders at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Digital will show how a team can strategize, gain consensus and alignment, then execute a large scale update of the information architecture, navigation and visual design of the Disney Parks mobile apps. This talk addresses and details a common problem in our discipline: How to use design techniques to gain momentum and alignment on a new, lasting shared vision.

• How strategic thinking, active listening, and holistic design builds trust with leaders and forges new paths for an organization.
• How regular alignment introduces system-wide improvements, without rebuilding an entire app ecosystem.
• How strong IA can address past mistakes, current needs, and the future ambiguity; all while empowering your team to put a strong, agreeable, stake in the ground.
• How breaking complex experiences down to simple design patterns can align business and user goals.

In 2002 I passed through a gate labeled "Information Architect" (a smaller sign read "now leaving Content Strategist") and ever since the IA worldview has informed my approach to the design and building of digital spaces. Since then I passed through additional gates with names such as "Interaction Designer" and "Pattern Detective," and "Design Manager" among others, most recently a gateway called "Head of Product." The journey has (in retrospect) been a quest to understand and build meaningful online spaces, leading up to a startup trying to scale compassion globally. In this talk I will share how the skills I learned as an IA have helped me on this career journey and through this series of gates in search of meaning.