Data Quality Score

FamilySearch

Summary

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In-depth

problem

Existing design wasn't getting through to users.

Since multiple users can edit shared ancestor profiles on FamilySearch, conflicting and incomplete data is common, eroding trust in the tree and reducing engagement. The Data Quality Score was built to flag these issues and guide users toward fixing them. But early designs used a star rating system that users misread as a judgment of their ancestors rather than an assessment of data quality, and the feature felt disconnected from tools they already relied on, making the solution part of the problem.

Existing design wasn't getting through to users.

Role

UX Design Intern

Duration

Shipped

solution

A design that signals progress, not judgment

To make the score feel motivating rather than confusing, I redesigned it around progress bars and a green color system that signals action rather than alarm, shifting the metaphor from rating to progress. I then worked to integrate it into the existing Research Helps workflow rather than competing with it, and made it collapsible so users could stay focused on their primary task without being pulled into the score's detail before they were ready.

Desktop View

Mobile View

outcome

Decrease in errors, increase in trust.

Across four rounds of iteration and testing, the design moved from a state where users couldn't articulate what the score was measuring to one where they understood its purpose and felt motivated to act on it. Two of my specific contributions, the green color system and the collapsible structure, were carried into the final build.

reflection

Intricacies of building for trust.

Naming and visual metaphor carry more weight than they seem to. And sometimes the more respectful design decision is to integrate quietly rather than compete for attention.