Open to new roles
2026

CASE STUDY 03 — SEARCH EXPERIENCE

NSF Funding Search Engine

National Science Foundation Funding Search Engine
Architecting a unified search ecosystem to help researchers navigate complex government funding data with ease and precision.

ROLE
Product Designer • End-to-end
TIMELINE
2023-2025
CRAFT
Search Experience • Design System • A11Y
TOOL
FIGMA

nsf.gov / funding / search

Redesigned NSF Funding Search interface

The redesigned Funding Search — visible filters, scannable results, accessible by default

View on NSF.gov

THE CHALLENGE

The National Science Foundation distributes billions in research funding each year and Funding Search is how scientists find it. The legacy portal made that

01

Confusing filters

Critical options buried inside deeply nested dropdown menus.

02

Cluttered results

Walls of unstructured text - impossible to scan or compare.

03

Disconnected search

Tools and saved searches scattered across the platform.

THE GOAL

one accessible search ecosystem where any researcher can find the right funding quickly, with confidence.

KEY FEATURE 01

Filters that are intuitive and visible

PROBLEM

The Directorate/Division filter hid dozens of departments inside nested menus, you had to know exactly what you wanted before you could look.

SOLUTION

A visible, searchable filter system - type to find any option in place, see clear parent-child relationships, and reset everything in one tap.

In-filter search
Parent–child clarity
One-tap reset
What You See Is What You Get

BEFORE

AFTER

Result list — from wall of text to structured, scannable card

KEY FEATURE 02

Easy scan and compare Complex Grant Data

PROBLEM

Each result was a dense paragraph - title, metadata, deadlines and eligibility all run together. Comparing opportunities was nearly impossible.

SOLUTION

A structured, responsive result card. Unstructured text became clean, scannable columns that stack gracefully on any screen.

Scannable columns
Context-aware fields
Fully responsive

KEY FEATURE 03

A scalable, accessible component library

PROBLEM

A modern search is only half the win if engineers can’t build and maintain it consistently across hundreds of pages.

SOLUTION

A standardized Figma library - every state and breakpoint documented, with WCAG 2.1 AA baked in rather than bolted on.

Documented states
Responsive by default
WCAG 2.1 AA

LOOKING AHEAD

Advanced search for power users

Around 5% of researchers run highly specific, repeat queries. An “Advanced Funding Search” concept gives them surgical precision - Boolean keyword logic, granular field targeting, and complex forms - without complicating the everyday experience.

Advanced funding search interface

OUTCOMES & TAKEAWAYS

From buried filters to findable funding - at national scale.

Impact

Modernized a decade-old system into a unified, accessible search ecosystem and shipped a component library the team keeps building on.

Process

Worked cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, QA and NSF Policy to balance strict government constraints against real researcher needs.

What I learned

Hard constraints sharpen the work. I learned to think in systems, not screens - consistency that scales across hundreds of pages.

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