Hello. The search functionality team has been asked to review and make recommendations for the search on the new ASU header to the WEB. Currently we have UTO staff working to code the header and they are ready to incorporate the recommendations below to ensure ease implementation by the units.

We thank everyone for their feedback to an earlier post, and we'd like to get your feedback on the recommendations below.

ASU Search functionality: Header Version 2.0

The search function team recommends two choices for the search bar:

Search function choice one: All ASU Search

This is similar to the current search found on the ASU home page.

This is the one that should be applied on ASU’s top level pages.

Modifications:

• Remove the word “Search” before the search box.
• Leave search text box empty.
• Use the magnifying glass icon as the search command button, and place it at the right of the search box.
• Allow for 27 characters in the search box. This means that the text box should be sized at 27 but should allow more characters to be entered--this is a usability recommendation since 90% of all search terms are <= 27 characters. Users should be able to see what they have typed in the textbox. 27 characters is recommended by Jakob Nielsen.
• Accessibility standards: Follow the coding guidelines that exist right now on the home page for search.
  Ensure that the magnifying glass has an alt tag that says “Search.” DRS will be working with UTO on ensuring appropriate accessibility standards.

Search function choice two: All ASU Search + One Scoped Search

This search function allows for the all ASU search along with a scoped search. With this choice, there will be the two search options total. Colleges/schools and other major organizational units will determine and deploy the most appropriate scoped search for its organization (e.g., one for the entire college, or allow the units to search within a unit site).

Design modifications:

• Account for those design modifications addressed in the all ASU search outlined above.
• The search group recommends the use of radio buttons for greater accessibility.
• The first radio button will be used for the scoped search. The group recommends the label length be as minimal as possible for the radio button. The scoped button should appear first on the left. This is the default search.
• The other radio button must be “ASU” and appears on the right, and will search all ASU pages as outlined above..

Outstanding Issues:

Designers: Type face and font size to account for length of college name possibilities.
Accessibility: Lora Craig will create the language that will be in the code and inform a user on JAWS that choices will happen with the radio button functionality.

Technical implementation of radio buttons: implementing choice 2 for colleges like the College of Education, W.P. Carey and others will involve non-trivial technical details when multiple HTML forms are involved: either JavaScript or a server-side search redirector. See: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dfnhhbpw_2gwxc4dgv.