Hi friends 👋🏻

This week, some guidelines around building a filterable view of your website content based on a thoughtful list of taxonomy terms.

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We want a content library with filters

I just finished writing a proposal for a new website where the central feature is a content library, with filter controls and good search functionality.

The core user challenge this will solve is this: currently, the content is just a giant grid, with pagination. So technically, users can get to all of the content, but only by paging through, 10 items at a time.

Instead, we want a user experience where a couple of filters can be applied, to quickly narrow down over 200 content items to a small collection that are relevant to what the user is looking for.

Great plan!

Filters need terms

Filters – like a little series of checkboxes – need a taxonomy to operate, and that taxonomy needs terms; the options that the user can choose from.

In this case, there are two taxonomies, and therefore filters, that make sense for the content: Topic, and US State.

Currently, the content has been assigned into categories, but without a coherent strategy, and lots of tags have been applied ... often with several close duplicate tags created by accident.

This kind of messy application of taxonomy terms isn't uncommon, and in this case we're going to replace that tangle of overlapping categories and tags with two new Topic and State custom taxonomies.

How to choose taxonomy terms

Now we're getting into the details.

Populating a term list for the US States taxonomy is easy. It's already defined for us by the map!

But topics is trickier. In the rest of this email, I'm going to share a few pointers for building a taxonomy term list that serves users well and doesn't get unwieldy over time.

• Terms should be completely distinct. Avoid overlapping terms as much as possible.
• Focus on user tasks. Think about what users might be looking for (ideally using real user feedback, analytics data, or survey data).
• Use your audience's language, not technical or internal jargon that might only make sense to you and other content experts.
• Set a limit on the number of terms. It can be helpful to think about the maximum number of checkboxes in the filter interface before the list becomes overwhelming. I'd recommend no more than 8-10 max.
• Set a minimum results threshold. You probably don't want to create a term that would only apply to one or two results: that's probably a signal that the term is too narrow.
• Consider introducing hierarchy if needed. If a flat list of terms feels like it won't allow users to drill-down enough, consider a hierarchical structure with a short list of parent terms, each containing child terms that get more specific.

If you want to go really deep on these ideas, Heather Heddon – self-described taxonomist – is your expert! The Taxonomy Terms section of her website is full of helpful advice if you find yourself facing a taxonomy-creation project.

I'll share an update on this project once there's something visual to look at!

Until next time ✨

— Ed Harris (your digital strategy guide)

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