UPDATE v1.9: Making Search Smarter

Search is one of those things we all take for granted. You type something in, and expect the right result to appear instantly. But building a good search function, one that actually understands what you’re looking for, is a lot harder than it seems. Especially on a niche platform like Lumolist, which now has over 8,900 products and accessories.

In the early days, search on Lumolist was basic. It worked off model names and keywords, nothing more. Minimal ranking, and basic logic, just a list of anything that matched what you typed. When the product library was small, that was fine. But as it grew, the cracks started to show. You’d search for a lighting fixture and get buried in accessories, clamps and cables.

It might seem like an obvious thing to fix, and it is, but when you’re running a startup, you have to prioritise. You make the best calls you can with the time and budget you have. Now, finally, it was time to give search the attention it deserved.

We rebuilt it from the ground up. The new system still responds to your search terms, but now it ranks results based on what’s most relevant, factoring in overall popularity and stripping out noise. It feels faster, smarter, and actually useful.

It’s a huge step forward, and one that I’ll keep improving as the platform grows. For now, I hope it makes finding the right kit just that little bit easier.

Another small but useful update: you can now duplicate templates. If you’ve built a detailed template that you need to copy, you no longer have to recreate it from scratch each time, just tap ‘Duplicate’ from the menu to make a copy and tweak it as needed. It’s a simple addition that makes managing multiple kit lists quicker and much more efficient.

Lastly, you might’ve noticed the background colour of the app has changed. This was a conscious move toward a darker aesthetic, not quite full dark mode, but easier on the eyes when using the app on set. It’s subtle, but hopefully makes the experience feel a bit more comfortable in low-light environments.

More to come soon - as always, feedback is welcome and thanks for your support!

Harry