Millions of people across the globe use FamilySearch.org to look for ancestors and Information on where they came from. However, many of these people are beginners and first-time users! There are more than 8 billion names that you can search for online in its historical record collections, with more than 1.3 billion people in its family tree. This can become overwhelming quickly so FamilySearch as just created 3 new features that can help.
Feature 1: Discovery Search Experience
“We want you to see what we have — and maybe even find your information about your ancestors — without logging in so you can understand what FamilySearch offers,” Ryan Parker, product manager for the Discovery Search Experience said.
Originally on FamilySearch, it would be hard for beginners to find information without being promoted to create an account. Now beginners can get a sample of results from FamilySearch without having to sign in.
The new Discovery Search Experience gives a way to search and select databases on FamilySearch. You can find the tree, records, memories and last-name information- all at the same time! This is the first time FamilySearch has brought multiple different search experiences together in one.
Feature 2: Ancestor Pages
“We created this experience to allow our patrons to have a way to quickly, easily get to know their ancestor with all the key things they need to know about them,” said Courtney Connolly, product manager of the FamilySearch Family Tree.
When selecting one of the family tree profiles with the new search experience, many beginners might notice a new page for them to click on. The page gives users a “snapshot” of the persons life with lots of information! Some of the information it provides are photos, memories, family timeline, the meaning of their name and activities to learn about their homeland.
“We hope to reach new people that we haven’t reached before. We want to help more people have the benefits and blessings of learning more about their family and where they came from,” said Courtney Connolly.
Feature 3: Search Historical Records
“What we found is that new users were a little intimidated by all those boxes and all those options, and they weren’t sure how to start,” Jeff Hawkins, product manager for Search Historical Records said. “So we’ve created a search experience that has a broader appeal, and yet still remains effective for the set of power [or expert] users.”
Historical records like draft cards, birth certificates and census records can reveal some important information about someone’s family. FamilySearch has updated the Search Historical Records page to make searching these records easier.
“We hope our users will latch on to it, take a little time, a little patience and discover all of the capabilities,” Jeff Hawkins said of the search page, noting his team has already seen an increase in the number of users engaging with it since they updated and made things easier to use.
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