Experienced researchers from Cisco’s Digital Marketing Voice of Customer (VoC) team conducted a series of in-depth user tests to gather critical feedback on customer preferences for Cisco’s site filters. These insights were then translated into design requirements, at which point the UX designer and I were brought into the project.

The filter pattern capability was extremely bare-bones, and user-specific insights helped key stakeholders and product owners prioritize enhancements for the next phase of design. This phase focused on building out essential features commonly found in filter designs.

To enhance the filter experience, we implemented the following:

• Search functionality

• Numbered pagination, replacing an infinite load approach that consistently performed poorly in user testing

• Expandable and collapsible checkbox categories

• Eyebrow text labels to classify certain results

• A distinct visual treatment for popular/new results

• Space for metadata and a few lines of descriptive text

• Capacity for up to three text buttons, instead of just one

• Dismissible tags/chips displaying the user’s inputted search term

• A "Clear All" button to reset all filtered search criteria at once

• Optional imagery to accompany each search term

• A single-row text layout, replacing the initial double-row approach

• Highlighted key terms in results for better criteria matching (final approach used bolding)

• Sort functionality

• Sticky elements for clear-all buttons and general fixed positioning

• "Filter by" text label permanently visible in the author dialogue box and as a standard design component

I collaborated cross-functionally with a diverse range of key stakeholders to successfully launch the filter pattern on Cisco.com. This included product owners, project managers, Voice of Customer (VoC) researchers, a UX designer (my closest collaborator), content strategists, SEO specialists, multiple development teams, and the partner stakeholder team.

My collaboration with the UX designer and product owner was particularly hands-on. I frequently engaged in design critiques, working sessions, and strategic discussions with my manager to navigate complex challenges. Together, we iterated on multiple design configurations, presenting clear options for feedback and refinement.

Key efforts with Andrew, the UX designer, included:

• Defining a treatment strategy for search terms within result sets

• Investigating content length requirements and conducting iterative testing

• Researching best practices for expandable/collapsible filter categories

• Resolving ambiguities and conflicting requirements that impacted design decisions

This collaborative approach ensured a well-researched, user-centered, and technically sound filter design implementation.

The key challenges for my role specifically were:

The final UI and visual design met expectations, resulting in a well-executed, refined filter experience. Its flexible yet structured design allows teams across Cisco to adapt the pattern to their content needs without compromising consistency. The system is designed to prevent excessive customization that could lead to cluttered or inconsistent layouts.

I carefully considered the various element combinations that could be enabled or disabled, ensuring seamless interactions across different scenarios. Additionally, I defined key functional requirements, particularly for pagination and search field behavior. These specifications are detailed in other projects, which can be found on the main Cisco portfolio page.

Ultimately, the filter pattern is both visually elegant and functionally robust, successfully striking the right balance between adaptability and design integrity