When "good enough" isn't good enough

You know that feeling when you walk into someone's house and immediately know they've been living with broken things for way too long? that's what MISO's help center felt like when i first saw it.

The wild part? Everyone just... lived with it. Market Operators were literally keeping handwritten notes about where to find latest notifications SOP procedures. & in 2023... let that sink in!

But their help center? it felt like trying to find a specific book in a library where someone had mixed up all the sections and then turned off half the lights.

An Honest Conversation

They brought us in for what seemed like a simple ask: "Make the help center prettier." classic.

But after spending actual time with the users (Electricity Market Participants, Market Operators, Grid Technicans, Power Operator, Client Support Team et. al) using this thing, the truth came out during our third stakeholder interview. "I've been here ten years," one operator told us, "and I still have to write down where to find certain procedures because the navigation just isn't intuitive." This wasn't just about making things look better - it was about fundamentally rethinking how critical information should be organized and accessed.

Understanding the Complexity

Our first week was spent just understanding how market participants used the Help Center. The complexity was staggering. We shadowed operators during their work hours, watched market participants navigate through their daily workflows, and sat in on support calls. Each group had their own patterns, their own workarounds, their own way of dealing with the system's shortcomings.

The issues were clear:

• Operators needed to find PRA timelines and market requirements quickly
• Market participants struggled to locate specific interface documentation
• Support staff were fielding calls about information that was already documented
• Emergency procedures were buried under layers of navigation

What made this particularly challenging was the critical nature of the information. This wasn't just documentation - these were procedures and guidelines that impacted millions of dollars in energy transactions and affected power delivery to millions of homes.

Early heuristic evaluations revealed deep usability issues

A Familiar Problem Space

The challenge of organizing vast amounts of technical information wasn't new to us, but MISO's case was unique. We needed to create a system that could handle everything from routine market operations to emergency procedures. It needed to be both comprehensive and lightning-fast.

We spent days just mapping out the different types of information and how they interrelated:

• Technical documentation that needed regular updates
• Market information that changed daily
• Emergency procedures that had to be instantly accessible
• Support ticket updates that needed real-time tracking

It was like trying to organize a library where every book was equally important and might be needed at a moment's notice.

Looking Outside

We studied other Independent System Operators like CAISO, NYISO, and ERCOT. Each had their own approach, but we were particularly interested in NYISO's Member Community concept. There was something there about fostering collaboration that felt right.

The competitive analysis wasn't just about checking boxes - it was about understanding how different organizations handled similar challenges. We found that each ISO had developed unique solutions based on their specific needs, but there were common threads we could learn from.

Analyzing how other ISOs handled their information architecture

Following the Data

Numbers never lie, but they do tell interesting stories. Through Google Analytics and search logs analysis, we uncovered patterns that even regular users hadn't noticed. The data showed us:

• Most searches were for specific terms like 'ceii', 'mtep', and 'learning center'
• Users preferred shorter search queries, suggesting they knew exactly what they needed
• Navigation patterns revealed people were creating mental maps of where information should be
• Peak usage times corresponded with market deadlines

This wasn't just data - it was a map of user frustration and needs. Every abandoned search represented time lost, and in MISO's world, time was literally money.

Data analysis revealed clear patterns in user behavior

The Human Element

User interviews revealed frustrations we hadn't anticipated. One market participant had created their own docs of important pages because they couldn't rely on the search. Another kept a spreadsheet of "emergency bookmarks" for critical procedures. These weren't just workarounds - they were cries for help.

The issues were deeply human:

• Visual inconsistencies were disrupting workflow and causing cognitive load
• Lack of real-time updates on support tickets left users feeling in the dark
• The interface wasn't reflecting how people actually worked together
• Critical information was often hidden behind unintuitive navigation paths

User feedback highlighted critical pain points

Making it Work

We approached the redesign with three core principles, each born from our research and user insights:

1. Enhanced Search Experience 🔍
   • Revamped the search flow with better filtering
   • Added popular searches based on user patterns
   • Implemented auto-suggestions for longer queries
   • Built in context-aware search results

The search improvements weren't just about better algorithms - they were about understanding how people actually looked for information in pressure situations.

The new search interface prioritized speed and accuracy

2. Streamlined Navigation 🧭
   • Implemented a modern pop-up design that reduced cognitive load
   • Optimized menu structures based on usage patterns
   • Ensured accessibility compliance for all users
   • Created quick-access paths to critical information

Modern design components

3. Knowledge Base Overhaul 📚
   • Redesigned the front page for intuitive access
   • Improved link styles and navigation paths
   • Ensured content stayed current with automated update checks
   • Built in real-time notification systems for critical updates

Overhaul of knowledge base

The Results

The numbers told a compelling story after launch:

• 25% increase in successful searches
• 30% reduction in user drop-off rates
• 20% boost in user satisfaction (CSAT)
• 40% decrease in time spent looking for critical information

But the real victory was in the qualitative feedback. Users were finding what they needed faster, support tickets for documentation issues plummeted, and the Help Center was finally living up to its name.

The final design balanced functionality with usability

Want to dive deeper into the technical details? 🤓
Get in touch to schedule a presentation.