Search updates

Platform update: June 2022

Why have we changed the search?

The new search design has come about as a result of large numbers of users saying that their preferred method of searching is by typing in a keyword.   

Our new activity search bar design is much simpler as it allows users to type in any keyword or click ‘search options’ to reveal the search filters. 

After extensive user testing, we have made the following changes:

The new free text search now:   

• Automatically detects if a keyword matches a filter (tag) on your platform;
• Automatically detects if a postcode is added and perform a postcode search;
• Automatically detects a keyword which matches (or is similar to) an activity type on your platform (e.g. if someone types in ‘volunteering’ it will automatically display all volunteer opportunities);
• Performs a search if a user presses the 'enter' button after adding in a keyword (users also have the option to click ‘Go’ on the search bar);
• Remembers a keyword a user has typed in when returning to previous results (users still have the ability to clear their search);
• Removes text from the search bar if a user selects a suggested filter. 

In addition, we have made some navigation and instructional text changes to help users with their search including: 

• Adding a 'back' button on activity pages to help user return to their results pages;
• Adding new information buttons next to the search bar and Best Match button to help with instructions;
• Adding a 'Show more results' (for expanding results) button at the top and bottom of the results stream; 
• Removing the ordered by relevant text to avoid confusion;
• Adding a clearer message and buttons on ‘no results’ page.

What should platform administrators and end users be aware of?

The new keyword search is not as intelligent as Google!

Your platform will detect keywords or phrases that exist within the title, description, hidden keywords or platform tags. So, for example, if a user types in “Sport in Bristol” it will only show results if that actual phrase exists in the content.  

This may cause some frustration to users who are used to Google; however, we will be adding a new message on the ‘no results’ page that prompts users to ‘try selecting the tags ‘Sport’ and ‘Bristol’ for better results. 

Please also note that the keyword search will not show results that are similar to the keyword or mis-spelt (unless the user who added the activity has added the misspelling as a hidden keyword). 

What are we doing next? 

Our work on improving how users search for and find information is ongoing. Here's a summary of what we'll be working on next to improve the user experience.

1. Focusing on helping users to add better data.

As with any website search, users will only return relevant results if the information is added correctly and tagged to appropriate filters. The second part of our search improvements will focus on getting better data from users adding activities. Some ideas we are exploring include:

• Automatically detecting (and tagging) relevant filters based on activity title added;
• Changing the user interface of step 3 of an activity set up to make it clearer;
• Adding better instructions so users are clear about what information they need when they start adding an activity.

2. Helping users to expand their search. 

We want to guide users who find that their keyword search does not return results.  To help with this, we are planning to update the ‘no results’ page as follows: 

• Adding a new search bar at the top of the results and ‘no results’ page, which shows the alternative search filters;
• Adding suggested filter tags based on a search term; 
• Adding a large 'show more results' button; 
• Adding a large 'search options' button.

The above will be dependent on the type of search a user has performed. 

3. Storing data on search terms 

We’ll be storing data on search terms performed so that we can better understand user needs and experiences.