Project Overview

BAnQ Numérique serves as Quebec’s digital gateway to national archives, civil records, maps, journals, and historical collections.

The mandate was to evaluate and improve the findability of information within the Quebec Heritage section — specifically search results, filters, and PDF document browsing.

The goal was not to simplify the platform’s depth, but to reduce friction within a high-density information environment while reinforcing institutional credibility and trust.

This was a structural discoverability challenge.

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Objectives

Improve search experience within the Quebec Heritage section

Optimize filter usability and navigation clarity

Reduce cognitive overload in high-result environments

Enhance document browsing through the PDF viewer

Identify and prioritize actionable IA improvements

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Approach

I co-led a structured usability evaluation using a within-subject experimental design.

Methodology included:

• 16 Quebec residents (desktop testing)
• Task-based evaluation across maps, civil register, archives, and journal searches
• Search, filter, and PDF viewer usability testing
• Quantitative measures (CSAT, NPS, Likert scales)
• Time-on-task analysis
• Post-task interviews and qualitative synthesis
• Prioritization matrix (value vs effort) for recommendations

The evaluation focused on isolating structural friction in search and filtering logic — rather than visual redesign.

Strategic Decisions

Recommendations were prioritized using a value vs effort matrix.

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High-impact proposals included:

• Introduce conditional / advanced search logic
• Default chronological ordering for results and filters
• Add consistent search bars across all filter categories
• Disable page refresh on filter selection
• Implement subtle “nudging” cues to guide navigation
• Improve PDF viewer visibility and interaction clarity

Impact

• Delivered structured roadmap for improving discoverability
• Reduced cognitive load in high-density search environments
• Provided implementation prioritization framework
• Strengthened alignment between usability and institutional credibility
• Reinforced accessibility principles in public digital services

Lasting Impact

BAnQ Numérique illustrates a critical UX principle:

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Access to knowledge is not only about digitization.
It is about navigational clarity.

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By identifying structural friction within search and filtering systems, the evaluation provided a scalable foundation for improving accessibility across Quebec’s digital heritage ecosystem.

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Public knowledge made usable!

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