Should we build a finder or use simple portfolio pages?

Information architecture should help a buyer find an offering by the problem they need to solve, not by the business unit that happens to own it. Simple portfolio pages work well when the brand architecture is clear, the audience already understands the categories, and each capability can be described in a few plain words.

A strong portfolio page gives people a clear route into services, technologies, industries or use cases. It then uses cross-linking and progressive disclosure to let them go deeper without turning the first visit into a maze. This is especially useful for a buying committee, where technical, commercial and operational people may need different levels of detail.

Simplicity is not about hiding complexity. It is about giving every part of the portfolio a clear role, a recognisable name and a sensible place to live.

A solution finder is worth building when it helps visitors narrow a complicated choice through a small number of relevant inputs. It can be a smart fit where buyers need to compare options, identify the right configuration or understand which offering suits their situation. A finder should lead to a useful next step, not simply add movement to a portfolio page.

Simple pages are the better choice when the audience needs orientation before selection. Start with direct explanations of the portfolio, then add filters, a configurator or layered content where a specific decision becomes difficult. Interactive storytelling can also help when audiences need to understand how technologies, brands or solutions connect, but visual novelty alone is not enough.

The practical test is simple: use interaction to filter irrelevant information, reveal the right depth of detail or make a hard comparison easier. If it cannot do one of those jobs, straightforward pages are likely to be clearer, faster and easier to govern.

We believe a finder is a useful tool, not a default answer. The starting point should be a clear portfolio story and simple routes that reflect what audiences need to understand or choose. When people genuinely need help comparing options, layered information and a well-designed interaction can turn complexity into clarity.

We have put that into practice for Dematic, where we created a straightforward configurator to help customers understand a micro-fulfillment offer and move through a short set of relevant questions. For Siemens, we created an interactive experience with navigable layers of copy so technical and business audiences could reach the level of detail that suited them. Those projects show the same principle: interaction works best when it gives different audiences a clearer way in.