EDUCATION PLANNER BC
Streamlining discovery: Redesigning EPBC's search experience
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Education Planner BC (EPBC) is a centralized hub that helps students in British Columbia explore programs, institutions, and resources to plan their post-secondary journey. The search plays a critical role - it's the first step for many students looking to explore options.
The original search experience, however, presented challenges: cluttered filters, inconsistent patterns, and limited pathways for exploring beyond programs. My redesign focused on simplifying hierarchy, aligning UI patterns with the larger design system, and ensuring that students could easily discover programs, careers, and resources in one cohesive flow.
MY ROLE
Lead UX Designer
TOOLS
Figma
01.
Issues with the original search
Search landing page
Poor use of viewheight real estate
The size of this hero section takes the entirety of the screen when the user first lands here.
1
Ineffective placeholder text
The search bar used generic placeholder text, offering now guidance on what kinds of queries might yield meaningful results.
2
Inconsistent use of filters
Filters used elsewhere on the site did not follow this design pattern. These filters are also only exclusive to programs, leaving no structured way to narrow down careers or resources. This also resulted in a problem with a filter only search (no keyword typed). The results would show 600+ careers we had on the site.
3
Buried section
This is the main entry point we give users to find specific institution pages. It's an important piece of the user journey, but it was buried under the cluttered use of filters and huge hero section.
4
Search results page
Massive hero section
Like the issue with the landing page, this hero was taking up way too much space causing users to need to scroll down to begin to see their results.
1
Filters for only one category
One of the biggest usability gaps was that the filters applied exclusively to programs, not to careers or resources. To users, the design suggested otherwise making the interaction feel confusing and incomplete. Without the ability to refine careers or resources, students were left with a one-dimensional search experience.
2
Limited scope of search results
The original search only returned programs, careers, and resources—leaving out key areas like paths and events. This narrowed the experience and missed opportunities to surface richer, more contextual results that could better guide students.
3
02.
UX changes made
Clearer search hierarchy
I removed the filters entirely from the search landing page. This reduced clutter and made the page feel less overwhelming, while also encouraging users to begin with a broad search. By allowing user to cast as wide a net as possible in this initial phase, the experience becomes more exploratory and less restrictive, with refinement reserved for the results page where it's most useful.
Contextual, dynamic placeholder text
To guide users toward meaningful queries, I redesigned the placeholder text in the search bar. Instead of a static, generic message, the placeholder now begins with "Search for ..." followed by a term that rotates through examples. This small but intentional detail makes the search more inviting, gives users a clearer idea of what they can look for, and encourages exploration across a wide range of subjects.
Cohesive results layout
The search page was redesigned with a clearer UI and consistent filter patterns, aligning with established design standards across the site. This improved usability and reduced cognitive load.
Expanded filtering for careers and resources
I introduced filtering options for careers and resources, ensuring all three major search categories could be refined. This made the experience more flexible, complete, and student-focused.
New result types: Paths and events
I added two new result types, Paths and Events, to complement programs, careers, and resources. This made the search more holistic, giving students curated learning journeys and relevant opportunities to explore.