Reduced cognitive load within Panasonic search, increased number of sales through site

An example of how cluttered and unintuitive parametric searches can be

Identification of Opportunity

While working on a new design system for Panasonic Industrial, I noticed a significant conversion drop-off when users engaged with their parametric search tool for electrical components. The existing experience loaded all products upfront and relied on cumbersome top filters, resulting in a slow and frustrating process.

What a user first saw on the old search experience

Definition of Problem

Through usability testing, I aimed to deeply understand the task models and needs of the professionals using this search tool to purchase very specific component types. My research identified the need to allow users to incrementally narrow options by selecting key categories before seeing any product data.

The refined interface, visible only after explicit categories have been selected

Iteration to Solution

I iterated on redesigning the parametric search flow to be both simple and powerful. The new experience guided users through an intuitive multi-step journey to systematically filter down to their desired component type and specifications. This incremental revelation of only relevant product options made navigating to the right part numbers vastly more efficient compared to the previous bloated "full catalog" approach.

The new interaction, from initial search to stock check

Impact

My streamlined component search solution, combined with a fully responsive design, generated impressive results:

Drastically reduced support calls about search usability
Increased sales leads from the website
Created a differentiated user experience raising Panasonic's product discoverability over competitors

By aligning the search with users' actual workflows, I turned a conversion bottleneck into a sales acceleration tool demonstrating substantial business impact.