FamilySearch is providing a new way for users to be a part of website updates—a feature called FamilySearch Labs. In this article, learn more about the labs and how you can participate in experiments, give feedback, and help shape the future of the FamilySearch website. You can visit this new feature at FamilySearch.org/labs. A video introduction is also available.
What Is FamilySearch Labs?
Labs is a part of the FamilySearch site where you can explore emerging FamilySearch features that are not yet ready for public release. The new site is a chance for you to see what FamilySearch is working on and an opportunity for you to give your impressions of the new features.
We use your feedback to move the research and development of Lab experiments forward. There is no guarantee that all experiments on Labs will become available on the live site, but most will.
What Is an “Experiment” on FamilySearch Labs?
Experiments are features that a team in FamilySearch is working on and are almost ready to be released. The experiments are not live, and they may have bugs or be incomplete. Sharing experiments on Labs allows FamilySearch developers to test features before they are published fully on the FamilySearch site.
How to Get Started on Labs
To get started, simply click on the Try It button for each new experience. You can turn on as many experiments as you’d like. Some experiments will have instruction pages that explain more about the feature and what type of feedback FamilySearch teams are looking for.
Giving Feedback to FamilySearch
User feedback is important in determining the future of each experiment. After you spend some time trying out the lab experiments, you can provide feedback on how well the experiments went. To give feedback about a specific experiment, find the feedback tab floating along the left or right side of that experiment’s page, and click it.
On the feedback form that appears, first select the emoji that reflects your feelings about the feature. In the comment box, you can explain why you feel this way and give any feedback you feel like sharing. Lastly, provide your email so that we can reach out to you for more information about your experience if needed. (Sometimes this helps developers learn more about a problem you might have encountered.)
There is also a feedback button on the left side of the screen on the main FamilySearch Labs page. This button is for general feedback about Labs.
Note: The purpose of the FamilySearch Labs is to collect feedback on experiences that are yet to come. If you have questions regarding your family tree or existing experiences, please reach out using community groups or the Contact Us page to receive the best results.
Experiment on Labs
We currently have a variety of experiments on Labs that we want you to be a part of. Here is an example of a few of them, including Family Group Trees, FamilySearch Helper, Full-Text Search, and Together by FamilySearch.
Testing Family Group Trees
Family group trees is a new feature coming to family groups that will let families better work together in FamilySearch’s public Family Tree. In this test of family group trees, group participants can add or modify information about living family members in the same shared tree.
Testing a FamilySearch AI Assistant
Leveraging the power of AI search technology, this experimental FamilySearch assistant is meant to simplify your genealogical journey, allowing you to conduct natural language searches to find what you need among all the resources available on FamilySearch.org. The tool will allow you to type in questions about your ancestors, about available records, or other genealogy-related tasks, such as how to decipher old handwriting. It even has the convenience of follow-up questioning, similar to a Chat GPT interaction.
We hope this AI assistant will be able to guide users—both new to genealogy and more seasoned—with friendly answers and connect them to other resources for personalized support when an answer isn’t available. Your feedback on FamilySearch Labs for this experiment will shape the project, helping to make the quest for family history more efficient, engaging, and enjoyable for many users.
Testing a Full Text Search
FamilySearch has billions of historical records that have been digitized, but only a portion of these record images are currently searchable. This test of a full-text search for historical records uses artificial intelligence (AI) to transcribe images into text so they can be fully searched. This feature is meant to save hours previously spent manually reviewing thousands of images for an important piece of information—that can be found almost instantly with an automated search. Over 100 million records from the United States and Mexico are currently available in this experiment. We anticipate adding more collections in the future.
Testing a "Together" App
Together by FamilySearch is a test app on the FamilySearch Labs site that is focused on building, exploring, and sharing family stories with loved ones. The app experiment presents you with an almost unlimited supply of questions and prompts to help you tell and preserve your most important memories. Families can create groups on the app and invite family members so that everyone in the group has full access to the thoughts, memories, photos, and stories shared by others. The Together app has the potential to become an incredible tool for users to organize their family history and strengthen their relationships with living family members.
FamilySearch cares about preserving information on your family, past, present, and future. We value transparency and feedback from our patrons, and we look forward to giving you a sneak peek into what's coming soon to FamilySearch. Start your journey at FamilySearch Labs:
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
