Search all of our posts
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 provide support for this. Instead, we will launch a new system called Funnelback provided by a company called Squiz. The Funnelback…
6 December 2018Technology
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 be replaced. This post provides a summary of the test and an overview of the users’ experiences.
29 November 2018Usability
Library homepage design sprint
On Thursday 18 October 2018, we ran our first design sprint with 14 people from around the University. The interactive session ran for four hours as we all worked together on improving the library homepage experience.
14 November 2018Design
Subject and PGT course pages design sprints
The digital communications team is running two design sprints to help us redesign the University’s subject pages and taught postgraduate course pages.
9 November 2018Design
Homepage survey findings
In order to inform the refreshed design of the University of St Andrews homepage, the digital communications team wanted to establish what the top tasks were for all users of the current University homepage. The survey was also an opportunity for the team to gauge contextual information about how internal audiences currently use the University…
9 November 2018External website redevelopments
New team member
Hello, my name is Robert and I’m the newest addition to the digital communications team. I started my role of web developer on 22 October and I will be maintaining and updating University web services, developing new solutions and providing support for the University’s websites. I initially started out by completing an MA Hons in…
8 November 2018Team
Featured events criteria
The new events website allows us to highlight five events. On the events homepage, there is a large hero banner to showcase one event, and in the ‘Featured events’ section there are smaller boxes to showcase four events. This post sets out the criteria for these featured events and explains how staff and students can…
7 November 2018Content
Social media guidelines update
The University of St Andrews aims to use social media to inspire, challenge and engage with our audience. As well as the official University accounts, many Schools, Departments, professional units, research centres, societies and sports clubs have affiliated social media accounts.
31 October 2018Social Media
What St Andrews web editors do when we’re not writing
This post was inspired by the Scottish Government blog post, What content designers do when they’re not writing. At St Andrews, web content editors create and maintain content on the University’s externally facing website. Our role is to make it as easy as possible for users to find the information they are looking for. While…
19 October 2018Content
Updated events website
On Thursday 27 September 2018, the digital communications team launched the new events website in our updated style to assure future accessibility for users. This post looks at some of the changes we’ve made.
15 October 2018External website redevelopments Projects