WI Knowledge Hub

WAN-IFRA, a global organization supporting press freedom and media innovation, needed a robust Knowledge Hub to house a wide range of dynamic content — including webinars, reports, event recordings, and expert insights.
They chose Wix as the platform but quickly encountered several technical limitations:
The default Wix Search widget returned irrelevant or too broad results, pulling from across the entire site.
Reference fields in CMS collections (e.g., Speaker, Event Name, Area of Interest) were not being correctly indexed in searches.
Filters needed to be dynamically connected across content types but were constrained by platform limitations.
Search logic needed enhancements including Exact Match and Fuzzy Search toggling.
Speakers with no associated content were still appearing in lists.
CEO expectations included advanced search & filtering, improved member onboarding, and better speaker profile linking.

Our Solution
We developed a custom, component-based search and filter system on Wix using Velo to overcome native limitations and meet complex CMS logic requirements.

Key Features:
Custom Search Widget for Specific Collections
Designed a search box scoped to individual libraries (e.g., Webinars) instead of site-wide results.
Indexed only Title and Description initially — then worked on extending to reference fields (Event Name, Speaker, Area of Interest).
Advanced CMS Query Enhancements
Created a workaround using .expand() API to fetch reference values instead of record IDs.
Proposed structure redesign to flatten nested references or use custom functions for mapping references to actual values in search results.
Fuzzy vs. Exact Match Toggle
Implemented a front-end toggle allowing users to choose between broad keyword matching and strict phrase matching.
Designed backend logic to parse and conditionally apply .includes() or .eq() queries based on toggle status.
Cross-Linked Filters Across 4 Libraries
Synchronized filters across Webinars, Events, Reports, and Speakers.
Ensured only Speakers with associated content are displayed by dynamically querying linked CMS fields.
Created dynamic Speaker Profile Slides showing all related content (videos, reports, events).
Global PowerSearch + Member Experience
Integrated a scalable Global Search bar that pulls from multiple collections with contextual relevance.
Set up Auto-Approval Logic for new members for smoother onboarding.
Improved UX/UI for filter dropdowns and results display.

Technology Stack
Wix Velo: Custom JavaScript logic, dynamic pages, and database querying.
Wix CMS: Multiple interlinked collections (Webinars, Events, Speakers, Reports).
Wix Data API: For filtered queries, dynamic data handling, and pagination.
Frontend JS Libraries: Custom debounce functions, toggle controls, and search parsing.
Design Tools: Wix Studio Editor.