UBS : Clouding the picture

A novel adaption of a familiar quick links tool.

The Site

UBS, a Switzerland-based financial services group, adds a novel search option to its careers profiles library.

UBS includes a well-stocked Video portraits library in the Graduates and Interns area of its Careers section. A viewing screen is embedded in the page above two tabbed search options: Search portraits, the default setting that has two interrelated filters to narrow the selection in the thumbnail-image index showing when it is open; and Browse.

Browse generates a tag cloud of department/job functions that can be sorted alphabetically (the default setting) or ‘by popularity’. The latter refers to the number of portraits in that category, which are indicated in parentheses, and not visitor favourites. Clicking on a heading in the tag cloud replaces it with the relevant selection of portraits; click a portrait to start the video in the screen. An option is provided to Browse again.

The Takeaway

UBS has a big enough library of video portraits to merit a search facility, but the offer of three different ways to delve into it – by filter, by visual scan of the thumbnails and from the tag cloud – adds not only to its usefulness but also the engagement level.

The tag cloud is literally interesting in that it adds a novel dimension to the search tool, but one with which visitors are already familiar from its standard use as a collection of quick links. The option to alter the order in the cloud (but not the relative sizes of its constituents) is an innovation that will attract attention, and use. Cleverly, the constituents reflect the tags given to each portrait (which are shown when it is on screen), creating a discrete set to that for the Field of work filter in Search portraits. And there’s no pretence that the cloud selection is based on traffic numbers – the inclusion of numbers indicates it’s misguided rather than intended to mislead.

First published on 18 March, 2010