UX Design · Derwent Patent Search · 2024

Saved Work
Redesign

A digital junk drawer holding 14 file types with near-zero structure. This is how we fixed it.

Information Architecture Navigation Design UX Research Derwent Innovation
Role
UX Designer (lead)
With
UX Researcher · Senior PM
Year
2024
Status
Redesign complete · roadmap in review
01 The problem

Most of Saved Work was invisible to users.

Pendo data (Sep 2025) showed the real picture: 7 out of 14 sections had near-zero engagement. Users were only visiting Work Files and Searches. Everything else was effectively abandoned.

Old navigation — real Pendo usage data, Sep 2025
Derwent Innovation›Saved Work
Inbox0.39%
Searches, alerts & templates12.64%
Search histories11.61%
Watched records1.95%
Work Files24.35%
Charts0.68%
Export templates1.23%
Themescape maps2.97%
Text clusters0.24%
Personal folders6.45%
Public folders8.07%
Deleted items0.30%
All saved items 143 items
NameDate modifiedType
Olive oil cosmetics — EU
Modified Apr 25, 2024
Apr 25, 2024Search
Cold press technology alert
Modified Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024Alert
Antioxidant claims analysis
Modified Apr 11, 2024
Apr 11, 2024Work file
EU packaging innovation 2024
Modified Mar 28, 2024
Mar 28, 2024Chart
Prior art extraction methods
Modified Mar 14, 2024
Mar 14, 2024Search
Competitor landscape 2023
Modified Feb 01, 2024
Feb 01, 2024Work file
Olive oil Q3 search template
Modified Jan 18, 2024
Jan 18, 2024Template
Antioxidant themescape map
Modified Jan 03, 2024
Jan 03, 2024Themescape
No project context. No search. No metadata. All 14 file types in one undifferentiated list. 7 sections under 2% usage — users simply stopped visiting them.
02 Impact

The numbers told the story.

7
Sections under 2% usage
Inbox: 0.39% · Themescape: 0.24% · Text clusters: 0.24%
14
File types in one flat list
Each with its own set of individual and bulk actions — all hidden in the same view
24%
Work Files — the top section
Even the most-used section had no project grouping, no search, no metadata panel
Redesign — alerts & saved searches, item selected, detail panel open
Derwent Innovation›Saved Work · Alerts & Saved Searches
Project Workspace
Olive Oil Innovations 2024
Alerts & Saved Searches
Project DetailsNEW
Watched Records
Charts
Text Clusters
ThemeScape Map
Repository
Work Files
Search TemplatesNEW
Export Templates
Analytics TemplatesNEW
Your Folders
Personal Folders
Shared Folders
Trash
Alerts & Saved Searches 7 items
🔍 Search this section...
NameDate modifiedAlertActions
Olive oil cosmetics — EU patents
Saved search · 7 queries
Apr 25, 2024On⠇
Cold press technology
Alert · triggered 1w ago
Apr 19, 2024On⠇
Packaging innovation 2021–2024
Saved search
Mar 02, 2024Off⠇
Antioxidant claims — food grade
Saved search
Feb 14, 2024Off⠇
Extraction methods — prior art
Alert
Jan 29, 2024On⠇
Saved Search
Olive oil cosmetics — EU patents
Open
Edit
Share
Set alert
Description
Cosmetic innovation in olive oil before 2025 — EU focus
Owner
Sophia Martinez
Last modified by
Eloise Ramirez
Shared
No
Content type
Patent
Number of queries
7
Date created
April 12, 2021
Date modified
April 27, 2023
Three zones in the rail — Project Workspace filters by project. Alert status visible inline. Item detail panel shows full metadata without opening the file.
Redesign — work files, 3 selected, bulk toolbar active
Derwent Innovation›Saved Work · Work Files
Project Workspace
Olive Oil Innovations 2024
Alerts & Saved Searches
Project DetailsNEW
Watched Records
Charts
Repository
Work Files
Search TemplatesNEW
Analytics TemplatesNEW
Your Folders
Personal Folders
Shared Folders
Work Files 12 items
🔍 Search work files...
3 selected
Open
Export & report
Copy
Share
Delete
NameDate modifiedRecordsOwnerActions
EU cosmetics — shortlist Q1
Work file
Apr 2448Sophia M.⠇
Cold press patent review
Work file · Shared
Apr 19112Sophia M.⠇
Antioxidant claims analysis
Work file
Apr 1127Eloise R.⠇
Packaging innovation review
Work file
Mar 2863Sophia M.⠇
Prior art — extraction methods
Work file · Shared
Mar 1489Eloise R.⠇
Work File
EU cosmetics — shortlist Q1
Open
Edit
Annotate
Description
Shortlisted EU cosmetic patents for Q1 — olive oil focus
Owner
Sophia Martinez
Shared with team
No
Records
48 patents
Date created
January 8, 2024
Date modified
April 24, 2024
Work Files shows a Records count column — contextual to this section only. Bulk actions appear when rows are selected: Export & report, Copy, Share, Delete.
Redesign — Project Details (new section)
Derwent Innovation›Saved Work · Project Details
Project Workspace
Olive Oil Innovations 2024
Alerts & Saved Searches
Project DetailsNEW
Watched Records
Charts
Text Clusters
Repository
Work Files
Search TemplatesNEW
Analytics TemplatesNEW
Your Folders
Personal Folders
Shared Folders
Project Overview
Olive Oil Innovations 2024
Everything related to cosmetic innovation in olive oil before 2025
Owner
Sophia Martinez
Created
April 12, 2021
Last modified by
Eloise Ramirez
Shared
No
Activity log
Apr 25, 2024Eloise Ramirez modified Olive oil cosmetics — EU patents
Apr 19, 2024Sophia Martinez added Cold press technology alert
Mar 28, 2024Sophia Martinez created Packaging innovation review work file
Contents
Alerts & Searches7
Work Files12
Charts4
Watched Records18
Text Clusters2
Notes
Quarterly review scheduled May 2024. Focus on cold press and antioxidant claims.
Project Details is entirely new — one place to see everything inside a project: metadata, team activity, and a live count of all content types.
03 Before and after

What changed.

Before
  • 14 file types in one flat, undifferentiated list
  • No project context or filter
  • No search within sections
  • No metadata without opening the file
  • Actions hidden or duplicated across types
  • No sharing across contracts in the same org
  • Users keeping external Excel to manage their work
  • 7 sections with under 2% usage — effectively abandoned
After
  • Three zones: Project Workspace, Repository, Folders
  • Navigation filtered by the active project
  • Search built into every section header
  • Item detail panel always visible on the right
  • Actions consolidated and surfaced per file type
  • Shared Folders visible across contracts in same org
  • All work manageable without leaving the product
  • Inbox removed — sections restructured by actual workflow
04 Roadmap

Two options presented to the team.

Option A — Recommended
Ship this redesign first

Immediate improvement. Generates real usage data to scope the larger Project Management build.

  • Ship Saved Work redesign
  • Observe adoption patterns
  • Scope Project Management from real data
  • Migrate gradually — lower risk
Option B
Skip to full Project Management

Given low usage, skip the interim fix and invest directly in the full rebuild.

  • Skip this redesign
  • Define full PM scope
  • Build and ship new core flow
  • Full migration required

Decision pending — depends on migration feasibility and engineering capacity.

05 Reflection

What I took from this.

What worked
  • Auditing all 14 file types and their actions first — full understanding before any solution.
  • The three-zone rail came from how researchers actually describe their work: by project, not file type.
  • Pendo data gave the team an objective shared starting point that cut through assumptions.
  • Two concrete roadmap options made the strategic conversation possible.
Still open
  • Roadmap decision pending — affects whether this ships or is absorbed into a larger scope.
  • Cross-contract sharing needs a legal and permissions review before full spec.
  • Project Details is new — needs usability testing before development.
  • Large-portfolio users (100+ items) not yet tested.