Global Search replaces fragmented, unreliable search with a unified, relevance-based experience. Projects, contracts, suppliers, and documents — all connected, all searchable, all in one place.
When users can't find records they know exist, they lose confidence in the entire platform. Searching "Gartner" and getting 1 of 18 contracts isn't a minor inconvenience — it's a platform credibility problem that drives users to spreadsheets.
The prototype tests two open questions: does the container model read better than peer grouping, and does scoped search inside a project reduce noise?
The omnibox lives in the top nav. Press ⌘K from anywhere to open it. Start typing and results appear after 350ms — no submit button needed.
Use arrow keys to move between results. Yellow highlighting shows exactly what matched and where. Toggle between Container view and Peer view to see both grouping models side by side.
Hit Enter or click the "See all results" footer to go to the full results page. Filter by entity type, status, tags, or date — then sort independently of your search.
Not a bolt-on. A reusable search foundation that every future entity type can plug into with minimal configuration.
Exact IDs and titles always rank first. Search "MOU-24-1234" and that contract is result #1, always.
A contract match surfaces its parent project, with other related contracts and documents nested underneath. Context without noise.
"Matched in amendment title" hints tell users exactly why a result appeared. Builds trust fast.
Same search always returns the same order. Tie-breaking by most-recently-updated means pagination is reliable and shareable.
Adding a new searchable entity takes a single config entry — no per-controller search implementations scattered across the codebase.
Search is the most-used feature on any platform. Getting it right affects every persona, every day.
Find every contract with a supplier instantly. No more 94% miss rates or manual browsing.
Retrieve contract families by prefix ("MOU-24") with consistent ordering for month-end reporting.
Search by program name ("CalFresh") and surface all related contracts, even when only an amendment title matches.
Share a search link with a colleague and trust they see the same results in the same order.