Introducing Program Finder

What is a program finder?

For many prospective students, sifting through the large catalog of programs that Higher Education institutions have to offer can be quite a tedious and confusing task. Traditionally, programs are presented as large generic lists or buried away within the complex navigation.

To help solve these problems, Program Finders were introduced to bring all the key bits of information into a single solution so that prospective students can find the exact program which meets their needs.

Why invest in program finders?

Programs and courses are the #1 reason a prospect visits your website. However, current solutions are fraught with problems. These include (but not limited to!):

• Browsing through them can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of programs and courses.
• Vital information about programs are hidden away in separate catalog systems or stored as PDFs making it difficult to find.
• Unable to narrow down a large set of programs down to only those which are relevant.

With digital experiences being more important than ever, we heard customers from around the world utilizing program finders to drive application volume by showcasing programs they have to offer, highlighting the diversity of delivery methods.

So what is this Funnelback Program Finder all about?

In 2017, we recognized the growing trend for the need for an industry-specific solution to tackle key issues. The result was the development of the highly successful Higher Education Product which provided a seamless global search experience for colleges and universities. We are now taking this a step further and doubling down on the search experience for programs to make it even easier for prospective students to find what they need. We’ve included:

Modern design

We’ve built an interface that easily allows the user to browse and explore programs, taking principles from modern UX.

Customizable results summaries

Results can be easily customized to display information that is most relevant and captivating.

Concierge

A robust auto-suggest feature suggests the most relevant content as the user inputs their query, enabling discovery across content the user may not even know exists.

Faceted navigation

In addition to keyword search, prospective students can explore programs by department, career, program format and location.

Shortlist

We updated the shortlist functionality so that students can easily compare programs side by side.

Responsive Design

Optimized for all devices, so students can begin their journey from anywhere.

Analytics

Analytics help you forecast program health, what changes could be made, and promote programs that should be getting more attention

Implementation

• We designed this product to be fully functional straight out-of-the-box while being developer-friendly. We provide all the templates and libraries necessary to get a sleek solution up and running on a matter of days instead of weeks.
• Have a unique requirement? Our solution is fully customizable; from the look and feel all the way down to the relevance rankings. Not only can the Program Finder Vertical Product be a complete solution in its own right, but it can also form the basis of a solid foundation that can be customized to create a truly unique and engaging experience for your prospective students.

Wrapping it up

We built the Program Finder to be of tremendous value for both students and the in-house teams that serve them. In addition to being fast to deploy and easy to configure, it aims to empower prospective students by streamlining their online experience and providing the tools to seamlessly explore the diverse range of programs Higher Education institutions have to offer.

We built this tool to inspire students to apply and ultimately, set up all students for success.

Have any additional questions? Reach out using the form below to get in touch with someone from our team.