scopus profile editor
elsevier B.V.

Background & Context

Scopus is one of the world’s largest databases of peer-reviewed academic literature, including journals, books, conference proceedings, and patents. It serves over 10 million researchers, academics, and institutions globally, providing tools to track, analyze, and visualize research outputs.

The Scopus Author and Institutional Profile Editors are critical components of the platform, allowing individual researchers and institutions to manage and update their profiles, ensuring their academic work and achievements are accurately represented. With over 16 million distinct profiles, these editors enable users to claim, update, and track their publications, citations, and contributions to the academic community.

While Scopus is a powerful tool, the profile editors were cumbersome to use. Users had to navigate through all the profile modules—whether or not those modules needed updating. This not only frustrated users but also increased customer service inquiries, as many were unsure how to navigate the system efficiently. The lack of a streamlined, user-friendly process impacted the overall user experience and engagement on the platform, especially for researchers who simply wanted to update their work without having to manage unnecessary details.

The Problem

Before the redesign, Scopus' profile editors had a major usability issue. Users had to go through all profile modules—even those that didn’t need editing—making the process tedious and time-consuming. This led to frustration and a rise in customer service inquiries, with over 30% of users reaching out for help due to the cumbersome process.

The Process

I began by conducting user interviews to gather insights into the specific pain points users were facing. After analyzing the results, I synthesized the findings and presented them back to the wider team, including product managers, developers, and other UX designers. This collaborative approach ensured that everyone was aligned on the key issues and that the redesign would effectively address them.

I then led the design of a modular profile editor, allowing users to focus only on the parts of their profiles that required updating, thus streamlining the process. The design was iterated with continuous feedback from both users and stakeholders, ensuring that it addressed user needs while also aligning with business goals.

The outcome

  • Reduced Customer Service Inquiries by 27%: The redesigned profile editors led to a significant drop in support requests, indicating the process had become easier and more intuitive for users.

  • Increased Engagement by 35%: More users (academics and institutions) actively curated their profiles, showing that the new system was both easy to use and effective.

  • Enhanced Alignment Across Scopus Platform: The new design integrated seamlessly into the broader Scopus ecosystem, improving the overall user experience across different parts of the platform, contributing to a 40% improvement in platform-wide user satisfaction.

Specific Contribution

As the Senior UX Designer, I led the end-to-end design process, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, and the development of a design system. I was responsible for ensuring that the design was modular, scalable, and accessible. I also played a pivotal role in validating design decisions through constant feedback and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

lessons learned

Through this project, I learned the importance of listening to users and validating assumptions through research. I also recognized the power of collaboration across teams—particularly the seamless integration of design and development to ensure a smooth implementation. Moreover, I gained valuable insights into designing for accessibility and scalability, ensuring the final product met both user needs and business objectives.