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: user experience
The three hats of user experience
User experience (UX) and design patterns fall under three categories (or hats) – white hat, grey hat, and black hat – or more simply put, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Offline first
One of the biggest challenges we face is to ensure that our websites continue to work on all manner of devices. To meet this challenge, many web developers have adopted a mobile first design process. The core principle…
The information scent of links
When looking at links on a web page, how do you decide which one will take you closer to your goal? You’ll choose the one with the highest information scent – the link with relevant terms and context that you think…
Bad UX design fails
The internet is a wonderful place. It is a modern library of all knowledge, the epicentre of human creativity, and the source of horrible user interface patterns that create an infinite amount of frustration.
How to set up an intranet project in 11 steps
Setting up a project correctly is an important but often overlooked phase of any project. Successful intranet-redesign projects start before sketching, feature selection, or coding.
Site performance and its impact on user experience
“Developers have a greater impact on user experience than designers do”, Paul Boag claims in his Why performance is the best way to improve the user experience article, and that “non-visual elements on a webpage can…
New University library homepage
On Monday 13 January 2019, the digital communications team launched an improved University library homepage. This update was made in light of the feedback gathered by library staff in focus groups and from the design…
Our research survey says…
In order to inform the design of the new University of St Andrews research section, the digital communications team wanted to establish what the top tasks were for users of the current research website. We did this by…
Design sprints
To help improve the development of the University website, we have begun implementing the methodologies of ‘design sprints’ into our process. Our friends over at the University of Dundee were so kind to include some…