Microsoft 365 Community Microsoft Search, 9 Jun 2020

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From YouTube: Preview of Microsoft Search User Experience (UX) customization

Description

In this 12-minute Admin focused demo, Jyoti Pal focuses on UX customizations in 2 areas – Verticals and Refiners (filters) on the Microsoft Search results page. You can edit/rename OOB verticals, create custom verticals and create custom refiners. Custom refiners may be added on existing verticals and on custom verticals. Configure search simply on the customization tab in the O365 Admin Center. Properties are associated to refiners and refiners are added to verticals. These new capabilities are available for Tenant and Site scopes. Private preview of Search UX customization expected CY20Q3. This PnP community demo is taken from the monthly SharePoint Community (PnP) call recorded on June 9, 2020.In this 19-minute Power User focused demo, Yannick Plenevaux introduces viewers to the new version of Site Design Studio (V2) released recently.

Demo Presenter: Jyoti Pal (Microsoft)

Resources:
• Learn more about the SharePoint developer community at: http://aka.ms/m365pnp
• Visit the SharePoint PnP Developer Community YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/spdev-videos

A

Hi, everyone uh really great to be talking to you guys. um So today the plan was, we talked through the uh microsoft search user experience we are essentially talking about. uh uh You know the customization that we are doing for microsoft search result page now there, uh when, when I talk about microsoft, search, result page I'm talking about the search result, page that you generally see when you're in sharepoint, home or office.com.

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You go to the search box with a query, and then you know you have a search result, page load up now again, even here there are a lot of components which are involved. um This particular part is focused on two aspects.

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One is verticals, which you see highlighted on top over here, which is essentially a wave to define the types of results which are shown in the search result page, and then you have your filters or refiners how they're generally known as from the classic search uh world, and this helps users you know to define a way for uh users to further narrow down results on certain properties.

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So these uh are the two key focus for the talk as of now- and um here uh let me actually talk about the uh key customization features that we're working on. So these are, you know the asks that we have heard from customers, especially for those who want to move from uh you know, classic search or who have been used to the uh features which are available there.

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So two key things that uh we are actually working on is, firstly, um allowing edit of your existing out of box uh verticals, which are present so the verticals, like all files, people, sites etc, being able to do some kind of uh modifications over there and then the second thing that we're working on- and we are planning to uh you know enable- is allowing adding of new custom verticals.

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Now uh some of you- or many of you may already know that this is in part already available in preview uh as a part of the microsoft graph connectors uh program where you can actually add custom verticals, but um we are taking the next step over here by having this available for sharepoint content as well, and then the next big thing that we are doing is, uh you know, custom filters now you may already notice and I'll do a deep dive into this part that the filter, design itself has actually changed.

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We are moving uh from the right hand, side uh pane to actually top of the page, and we are also doing work to add the have the ability to add custom filters. So without any further ado, let's actually go into the experience. So let me show you the experience that we're planning and uh that will give you a much better and good idea about the kind of changes which are there.

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So in this case, um let's so, this is going to be an experience. Walkthrough where, um like you know, I'll, be talking about uh the changes that we're doing so. Imagine that you are uh some a user who is on sharepoint home and uh who starts off with uh writing a query on your um on your search box and you're. Looking for something like a contoso field, research spec you hit enter um as soon as you hit enter now.

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This is sort of uh the experience that you will see now immediately off the bat you might notice that there are a couple of changes right here on the top, so let's sort of zoom into this and see so. There are two aspects: one is the verticals on top and the second one is filters which have actually changed. So, let's further actually look into what the changes are so first I'll be focusing on the top part, which is the verticals now the kind of features that we're enabling is.

A

Firstly, you may notice here that you don't actually see the sites vertical, so this is one feedback that we've heard that you know. In some cases there are certain verticals, which are perhaps maybe uh not needed for your organization, or um you know for a specific, uh maybe site as well. So, in that case we are allowing the capability to uh disable some of the uh existing verticals.

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The other thing that you might notice over here is this vertical called sharepoint news, which is generally actually the newest vertical. So uh there is also the capability to rename the news uh uh to rename some of these existing verticals to you know fit the need of your organization other than that.

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You might also notice that there are two other uh verticals over here which are like research and outreach, and these are additional custom verticals, which have actually now been added um based on your requirements, uh moving uh from uh top one when level down you see that there are filters, so it's file type and like date, is something which is already there, but the design has changed now when it is moved to top of the page.

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But then, apart from this, you also have the capability of adding additional custom filters like department and author and I'll, uh you know go through the kind of experience which is present on this in a bit.

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uh So this is the focus. So let's see that apart from this, uh you know verticals that have been edited. You also have this research custom vertical, which is available so going back to our user scenario uh in case if the user is actually looking in this case, you see, the user is looking for a research related spec and you do have a research related custom vertical present over here.

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So one quick thing that the user will now be able to do is go to this particular custom vertical tab and actually see the relevant narrow down results. Now this is one great way of finding information other than that. So imagine if the custom vertical is not what you're going for, then we go back to our all tab and then we start now.

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Looking at these filters, which have been added now in these filters, let's look into the department filter, let's say so here we are adding the capability of uh having filters, so you have different kind of controls. Like you know, single select, multi select, which will be available. These are essentially filters which are working off of definable, managed properties. As of now so the user will have. The capability of you know selecting some of these filters clicking on apply, and you know your page results.

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Your results will refresh the values which have been chosen will be uh shown here as pills and you'll have the options of deselecting them right from here or clearing them all. If that's what is needed, and you obviously also have the capability of adding um of using other, you know filters along with department as well. So in this case, if it's author, you can, you know, select the other authors that you're looking for click on apply and then further narrow down your results.

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So this is a great way of actually finding the results that you're looking for now moving on, uh so uh just to go back this uh so the earlier one which you saw was on the uh existing all vertical, where you are able to add custom filters, but this particular capability is also available for other. uh You know custom filters like research, so now um I want to actually walk you through the admin aspect of how this is set up as well.

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To sort of uh you know go over in the context of how this can be done from the administration perspective.

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Okay, so this is uh so what I'm showing to you right now is on the microsoft 365 admin center, which is essentially um at the setting, which is happening at an organization level for things like your sharepoint, home, office.com, etc. The experience you'll have like a similar kind of experience, even at a site collection level which is applicable for each and every site, so uh immediately.

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First, you will notice that in within the microsoft search administration portal itself, you have a customization tab where you can actually go and see verticals so now, you'll be able to see all your existing verticals also, which are present like all files, people, news, etc, and here the capabilities of let's say disabling uh vertical will be present. So I'm going to take the example of this research vertical, which we just saw now in my in this case, the vertical is already created and what we're going to do is add a filter to it.

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So once you click on the research vertical over here, on the right hand, side, you see all the information which is actually used to create this vertical and similar to this you'll. Have the similar information present for existing verticals as well? So you can edit the name. You can change the like. You know the query which has been added or you can go ahead and add a new filter. So once you click on filters, you're taken to a wizard kind of a view where you have a capability of adding a filter.

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So once you click on, um add a filter, you will be shown a list of refinable uh managed properties from which you can select uh your properties. So in this case we want to create a author filter. So we'll select the author property over here and move on to the next step and then uh within this step, then you have the options of viewing some of the uh you know um information about this.

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So in this case it's a string, type filter, and apart from that, you have the ability to actually select the type of interface that you want. As of now, today, we are first starting out with a list of preset sort of interfaces where the options will be something like a single select or a multi-select, um and you won't have the ability to design like uh completely uh uh customize the way you want it, that's how we are sort of starting off.

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So you select this type of information. You click on done, and then your filter is added over here and then the rest of the steps for actually just saving the vertical is present, and so, when you go back um and you move on to the next step and yeah here, you go so then on your um on your research, vertical a filter or auto filter will be added.

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This is from uh experience, walkthrough perspective. What um I wanted to show so um so, just to summarize we are uh so. These are all the features that we're working on as a next step. uh We are planning for a private preview for all of these features in the coming quarter, so you have things like uh ability to have custom filters and existing verticals on custom verticals for sharepoint, uh editing, existing verticals or adding uh you know, custom verticals for sharepoint content.

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All of these um experiences that I just spoke about this will be a part of the private preview. They will be available on both tenant and uh site scope. There are also other things that we're continuing to work on, which is at a high level.

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You know, result type support for sharepoint content and custom verticals so that you can design your own uh layout and also custom filter support for uh connector content, so these will also be coming up uh soon and lastly, the main call of action that I have from this audience is uh to actually sign up for the private preview so that we can actually take this to you see uh how well it works for your scenarios and get good feedback from all of you. So this was the content from my end, excellent. Thank you.