A Q&A with Tracy Pequeno
Improved search results, an updated interface, and fewer sign-ins. What’s not to like?
CCC recently gave a facelift to its industry-leading, expertly curated database of global organizations that fund, create, and use scholarly research. Previously called Ringgold Identify Database, the product is now known as Ringgold Organizations.
But it’s not just a new look or a new name — the update brings several new features that will improve usability and save time for those in publishing, research, and scholarly communications.
I spoke with Tracy Pequeno, Product Manager at CCC, to learn more about these updates and the value they will bring to Ringgold users.
Tell me about your role at CCC.
I am the product manager for Ringgold Organizations, and I’ve been with CCC for just over two years. As a product manager, I work with stakeholders to prioritize the delivery of work that the development team needs to do. That means really homing in on the requirements and making sure that everything is understood so that we meet the needs of our clients.
Tell me about the name change to Ringgold Organizations. What is changing, and why?
We are changing the name from Ringgold Identify Database to Ringgold Organizations. Ringgold Organizations is essentially the most fitting and transparent name because the product is centered entirely on organization data. It provides essential information, including the unique Ringgold ID, rich organization hierarchies, and over 30 descriptive metadata elements, enabling our clients to accurately disambiguate and identify organizations with confidence.
Tell me more about the product updates. One of them is one-click access to essential resources for those who access Ringgold Organizations via IP address. What does this mean, and why is it important?
Users have two ways to access Ringgold Organizations today: either with their username and password or from a computer within a recognized IP range. Those who access the platform via IP address have streamlined access into Ringgold Organizations.
In addition, access to the Resource Center has been streamlined. While users previously needed a separate login for product guides, users authenticated into Ringgold Organizations (either via username/password or recognized IP range) now have automatic access to the Resource Center. Users can click on Info buttons from each page of the application and immediately access the specific training information they need. No second sign-in is required.
The seamless user experience is always going to be our number-one priority. Removing the unnecessary sign-in step helps us to create that truly unified experience.
Another major update is the addition of the Boolean operator AND. How is this helpful? Can you give an example?
Many of our clients initiate complex search queries. When searching multiple items, the system defaults to the OR Boolean operator. The results that are returned contain any of the terms entered, but that leads to a broader list. The introduction of the AND Boolean operator for subjects and missions enables users to make selections to further refine their results.
For example, when they’re in the subject section on the Advanced Search, and they select subjects “accountancy” AND “corporate ethics” AND “finance” as criteria for the search, it will generate results that specifically include content related to all three of these subjects. This allows for more targeted and comprehensive search results, whereas if they were just defaulting to the OR operator, that list is much broader and they need to do a little more finessing to get information that they need. This allows them to narrow down and find the results that they’re looking for more quickly.
What are you most excited about with respect to the new user interface and why?
What I’m most excited about is that it’s more intuitive and it really provides a seamless user experience for our clients.
In my mind, the updated user interface presents a much more appealing design.
What do you think clients will be most excited about?
I think that they’re going to be excited about the overall increase in usability and efficiency. The new features that simplify their workflow will be the biggest hits, such as the translation toggle. That’s a brand-new feature that allows them to instantly translate the native organization names into English, and I think that’s going to be a huge win for clarity and data consistency. It also reduces the time spent on manual lookups and disambiguation.
Is there anything else you want users to know about these updates?
Our commitment to Ringgold Organizations is centered on continuous improvement. Future development will be guided by their feedback, by industry trends, and by the strategic priorities of the publishing ecosystem.
We’re going to be constantly rolling out features that enhance usability and productivity, so we’re always going to ensure that we deliver an excellent user experience to our clients.