Description
The current search functionality in Adobe Workfront can be improved to enhance efficiency when searching for past projects, especially when looking for work done by other team members. Users who frequently need to locate previous projects based on specific owners or project types often face limitations that slow down their workflow.
This enhancement proposal focuses on two key improvements:
Expand the search functionality to display all potential project owners when searching by name, rather than restricting the results to only the top 10 suggestions. This is especially critical when dealing with common names, as it limits visibility and makes it difficult to locate the correct project owner.
Allow users to filter by both "Project Type" and "Project Owner" simultaneously. Currently, selecting a project type disables the ability to also search by a person’s name. Enabling both filters at once would streamline the search process and significantly reduce the time spent manually sifting through results.
By addressing these limitations, users will be able to locate past projects faster and with greater accuracy, improving productivity and efficiency.
Why is this feature important to you?
The ability to quickly and accurately locate past projects is crucial for productivity and knowledge-sharing within teams. Many users, including myself, frequently search for past work done by other team members to reference best practices, locate assets, or gather insights for new projects. However, the current search constraints make this process cumbersome and time-consuming.
- For users dealing with common names, it is frustrating to be limited to the top 10 results, as it often excludes the actual person they need. This results in extra steps, like manually scrolling through project lists or reaching out to colleagues to track down information.
- For users who need to filter by both project type and owner, the inability to do so forces them to either search by project type alone (which results in too many projects to sort through) or by owner alone (which doesn’t always narrow down the search enough).
These inefficiencies contribute to unnecessary delays, impacting overall productivity and collaboration across teams. By implementing these search enhancements, Workfront can provide a more seamless and intuitive experience for users handling large volumes of projects.
How would you like the feature to work?
To improve Workfront’s search functionality, I propose the following enhancements:
Expand Name Search Capabilities:
- Instead of limiting search results to the top 10 project owners, Workfront should allow users to type in any name and display all matching results.
- A potential solution could be an "expand results" button that reveals additional names beyond the top 10.
- Alternatively, Workfront could enable a scrolling list of names or allow users to enter a full name (first + last) for more precise filtering.
Enable Dual Filtering for Project Type and Project Owner:
- Users should be able to select both a "Project Type" and a "Project Owner" simultaneously in the search function.
- This would allow users to refine their search criteria efficiently, leading to more accurate and faster results.
- A dropdown or multi-select filter for project type, combined with the improved name search functionality, would optimize the experience.
With these enhancements, users would be able to locate past projects more effectively, reducing the manual effort currently required to find relevant information.
Current Behavior
Currently, Workfront’s search function has the following limitations:
Limited Name Search:
- When searching for a project owner with a common name, Workfront only displays the top 10 matches.
- Users cannot type a full name to refine their search or see all possible matches.
Restrictive Filtering Options:
- If a user selects a "Project Type" filter, they cannot also filter by a specific project owner at the same time.
- This forces users to choose one filter or the other, resulting in longer search times and difficulty in pinpointing the correct projects.
By addressing these challenges, Adobe Workfront can significantly improve its usability and help teams work more efficiently.
Enhancing Workfront’s search functionality with expanded name search capabilities and the ability to filter by both project type and owner will have a meaningful impact on user productivity. These changes will enable users to quickly locate past projects, improving workflow efficiency and collaboration across teams. This feature aligns with Adobe’s commitment to providing an intuitive and powerful project management platform that evolves to meet the needs of its users.
