Low-latency typeahead with improved recall

A method for generating a typeahead suggestion list for an input field of a search interface, the method comprising:

• receiving, as digital input, a query string that has been extracted from the input field;
• inputting the query string to an automated search process that outputs, in response to the query string, a set of candidate entities;
• wherein the set of candidate entities comprises at least one canonical entity;
• ranking entities in the set of candidate entities according to a canonical bias to produce a suggestion list;
• wherein the canonical bias causes canonical entities to be ranked higher than non-canonical entities;
• wherein an entity is determined to be canonical or non-canonical using a digital taxonomy that has been constructed at least in part using data extracted from an online connection network;
• outputting at least part of the set of candidate entities as a suggestion list that the search interface may display in association with the input field to facilitate query formulation via the input field;
• wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

An apparatus comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

• receiving, as digital input, a query string that has been extracted from an input field of a search interface and context data that comprises one or more of:
• a search term that has been extracted from another input field of the search interface or a search criterion that has been extracted from a member profile that is associated with the query string via an online connection network;
• executing, on digital data extracted from the online connection network, one or more machine-readable queries that comprise one or more of the query string and the context data, to produce a set of candidate entities;
• outputting at least part of the set of candidate entities as a suggestion list that the search interface may display in association with the input field to facilitate query formulation via the input field.