Search autocomplete
We have recently upgraded our search autocomplete functionality within the main site header. This update is designed to give users the best experience possible, reducing the amount of typing required and providing…
Search by tag: search
Funnelback search rankings
One question we are often asked is why a particular URL is not listed at the top of our search results. The University uses Funnelback to provide our website search functions. The search works by scanning our documents…
New ideas for course finder
I recently came across a case study from GatherContent about the University of North Dakota’s new interactive programme finder. Their programme finder makes clever use of search functionality to offer a filtering…
Searching the module catalogue with Funnelback
We have recently revamped the University’s module catalogue to take advantage of a number of Funnelback features, delivering a more sophisticated search algorithm and returning higher quality results. In this blog…
From strings to things
Website searches have the potential to be a much richer experience than just finding content that matches the search term (string). Google has been providing ‘rich snippets’ since 2009 to describe people, provide…
Prioritising search results to maximise user engagement
The importance of having the correct web page listed in the top few search results has long been known. However, in some cases only a single result gets the attention of users. This has an impact for the University…
Squiz Summit 2019
Back in November 2019, I attended the Squiz Summit in Edinburgh. The summit is an annual event that brings together Squiz staff with their customers, to share in their experiences of using Squiz products.
Findings from Funnelback search usability testing
Last November I wrote about the initial findings from the control usability test that was conducted on Google Search Appliance (GSA), the University’s search system at the time. The main outcomes from that test were…
The new University search system
During the week beginning 17 December 2018, the University search system will be replaced. The current search system, Google Search Appliance (GSA), will no longer work after 31 December 2018 as Google no longer…
Online search usability testing findings
Over the summer, usability testing was conducted on the University’s search tool. The main purpose of the test was to set a benchmark and find out how users interacted with the current search system, which will shortly…