Introducing Entry Tagging in Nucleus
Introducing Entry Tagging in Nucleus
When I first stepped into the role of a Product Manager, I quickly realised that user feedback is pivotal in guiding feature development. The success of Nucleus, the Awards Entry and Judging Administration platform I manage, owes much to actively listening to end users and continuously evolving the system to meet their needs. Engaging users early was crucial in gaining their buy-in for the initial launch, and now, as the product is well-established, this user feedback continues to inspire some of the most innovative features I develop.
I am particularly proud of the recently launched tagging feature, a solution I conceived to address a challenge presented by one of our key stakeholders. The BAFTA Awards entry process must accommodate both organisations submitting numerous entries and those submitting only a few. While the core process remains the same, the administrative workload varies greatly. Supporting the submission of multiple detailed datasets—often requiring input from various departments and production companies, as well as multiple levels of sign-off—poses a very different challenge compared to supporting a company entering only two or three programmes. The challenge was to accommodate both workflows without cluttering the user interface (UI) or adding unnecessary complexity for smaller users.
Nucleus has always excelled at balancing these needs, allowing administrators to configure projects as required while shifting much of the setup complexity to admin users. However, in a recent stakeholder meeting, I discovered that users were managing entries with external spreadsheets to track each entry’s status. This feedback revealed a core issue: within Nucleus, there was no straightforward mechanism to determine the status of an entry without manually opening each form. This wasn’t a significant problem for users with only a handful of entries, but for those managing 20 or more, it became a notable bottleneck. Users needed a quicker way to identify why entries weren’t submitted and the actions required to complete them.
After reviewing the spreadsheet—an intricate, multi-coloured document updated by multiple admin users—I allowed the concept to mature, often finding inspiration while hiking or away from my desk. This reflection led to the idea of the tagging feature, designed to enhance workflow visibility directly within the Nucleus platform.
While tagging as a concept is not new, I am particularly pleased with our approach to its implementation. We have recently released the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) version of this feature, and I look forward to gathering user feedback after this year’s awards season to refine and enhance its functionality further. I favour a minimalist development approach, allowing users to explore new features organically and then iterating based on actual needs rather than assumptions.
Introducing new functionality into Nucleus for the first time since the 2022 redesign required a strategic approach, especially since we couldn’t rely on existing wireframes. With limited access to design resources, I focused on integrating this feature using current UI components and drawing inspiration from similar products to avoid placing undue strain on developers.
Once I conceptualised the tagging feature, I researched how similar functionalities are implemented in other platforms to ensure our solution provided optimal workflows while maintaining compatibility with Nucleus’s architecture. Key considerations included whether tags should pertain to individual users or organisations, their application across different awards, and how they would be managed and accessed within the system.
I ultimately decided to create a new “Tags” section within the site—a bold choice given its initial sparsity, but one that maintained a clean and streamlined interface. Given that Nucleus relies heavily on tables to display large, customisable datasets, I chose to utilise this familiar UI element for managing tags. While I initially worried that using only two columns might appear sparse, I leveraged the existing actions UI for editing and deleting tags, ensuring scalability for future additions.
After going through several iterations with developers, we opted to use modals for creating and selecting tags. This decision kept the UI clean and uncluttered, which was a concern in earlier prototypes. We also refined the colour selection process; initially, users could enter any hex code, but this led to accessibility issues with some poorly chosen colours. I decided to limit the palette to ensure the design remained both functional and accessible, balancing user choice with usability.
The new tagging feature now appears on both the entry page and the dashboard, allowing users to quickly visualise entry statuses without switching between sections. This dual placement ensures flexibility and efficiency, enabling users to manage their entries more effectively.
Ultimately, the users will determine the feature’s success. Early feedback from key stakeholders and the BAFTA Awards team has been promising, and I will be closely monitoring adoption rates and usage patterns to guide future enhancements. This experience reinforces my commitment to developing features that address real user needs, continually enhancing Nucleus‘s functionality and value to our stakeholders.
