Higher ed website redesign: why you should build your case
Found on
collegewebeditor.com
People don’t like change – especially on THEIR website.
Although you know it’s time to redesign your old graphic-intensive non-ADA compliant website launched 5 years ago, you’d rather live in fear of being featured on webpagesthatsuck.com than use the “R-word.” In the second part of the series “Why most university websites suck”, posted on her personal blog, Andrea Schwandt-Arbogast, Web Manager for Humboldt State University in Eureka, CA, explains: “the default state of University web sites is conservatism. They get redesigned every five years or so, when they’re at the point that they’re so broken or graphically embarrassing that they are hurting the institution.”
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Pass/Fail: Does Your Website Make the Grade [conference preceedings]
When it comes to web sites for intitutes of higher education most of use in that niche of the industry are shooting into the dark. Although we have a good idea of what is needed, how can we be sure that we are on the right track. When you consider that digital divide that exits between university web site administrators and the Net Generation this question becomes even more daunting. Of course we can look at trends in website development in general and infer where we should go but how smart, in terms of a business model, is that approach?
Recently I presented at the Community of Academic Technology Staff (
CATS) conference in Sacramento, CA. This is an annual conference, which initially targeted staff in the CSU System but has grown to include attendees from across the country. This year marked my sixth year presenting at the conference, which turned eight this year. Altough the conference is titled "academic technology" many of my presentations have been on topic like web accessibility, designing with web standards, and this year on web metrics and analytics.
In terms of measuring the success of a univerity site I spoke about various metrics and measurement tools available. I also spoke about how to design successful sites with measurement in mind. Unless your site is designed with measurement in mind the metrics you use to measure you site may not be as accurate as you hope. Additionally, with the various user-segments of a universiity site how can a single site with a single navigation schema and a single visual layout design truly be effective?
In an earlier post I referred to a book by Pamela Cox-Otto published LRP Publications (not available on Amazon only via the publisher). Get this book, it has all the research findings from the focus groups, surveys, etc. that Dr. Cox-Otto has done specifically in relation to university/college websites.
As for my conference preceedings my presentation slides are available in both
ppt and
pdf formats.
Access Matters - Seeking Best Practices
From
Access Matters
Found on
Web Standards Project
Bob Easton is the man behind Access Matters, a weblog that offers up advice regarding web accessibility and best practises. Quiz items are presented as blog or journal entries and answers by others follow in the comments or replies often offering up additional key information.
Read More...
Visit Access Matters
a good reading list for designers
Found on
suvcon blog on LiveJournal
I came across this list and I have many of these books so I considered it a good enough list worth sharing. I also have a list of my books online. If you're interested it can be found at
www.sjsu.edu/webpublishing/docs/booklist.xls. I think it may be missing my latest books on web metrics and analytics, but I may be wrong and they may be included.
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Wild Information: Content in Its Native Environment
Found on
alttags.org
Sometimes it feels like the most neglected aspect of implementing a content management system is . . . the content. Content development and migration pose a variety of challenges, and we’ve’ve written a series of articles discussing these issues. This critical look at preparing content for the web will help you create a plan for implementing a CMS on time and on budget.
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Content Management System 101: how to evaluate a web CMS?
Found on
collegewebeditor.com
Whether you have already crossed that bridge or not, you know that the selection of a web content management system (CMS) is a very big decision to make (or sell to your website stakeholders).
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Plan for the next big thing: trends to watch in higher education
Found on
collegewebeditor.com
Websites are not developed and/or maintained in a vacuum. Because the Web is more flexible and dynamic than traditional communication channels, Website Stakeholders tend to expect quicker responses from their Web services.
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Accessible Folksonomies: Accessibility, Usability and Web Standards
Folksonomy (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Folksonomy is a neologism for a practice of collaborative categorization using freely chosen keywords. This feature began appearing in a variety of social software in 2004. Some examples of online folksonomies being social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and Jots (http://jots.com/) which are bookmark sharing sites, Flickr, for photo sharing, 43 Things, for goal sharing, GenieLab and Upto11, for music recommendations and associations, and Tagsurf (http://tagsurf.com/), for tag-based discussions. Gmail's labeling system is somewhat similar to the use of tags, but it is not a folksonomy as users cannot share their categorizations. Folksonomy is not directly related to the concept of faceted classification from library science.
Folksonomy is currently understood somewhat narrowly as "tagging." Social sciences and anthropology have long studied "folk classifications"—how average people (non-experts) classify the world around them.
Found on
alt tagsAccessible Folksonomies: Accessibility, Usability and Web Standards
Google Code
Google has launched
Google Code, Google's place for Open Source software.
visit website...
Underused IA tools
Found on
Column Two
From
Peter Van Dijck's Guide to Ease
Us IA’s have a lot of tools at our disposal (personas, sitemaps, task analysis, …), most of them taken and adapted from other disciplines. But I have the feeling we’re somehow selective in which tools we appropriate. Here are some tools that we don’t seem to use much, even though they can be extremely useful.
More info...
How to measure the ROI of the college website? Step 2: set up a website dashboard
Found on
collegewebeditor.comWebsite development and maintenance cost money. That’s why we are all looking for ways to show how expenses associated to the Website shouldn’t be seen as costs but investments.
Measuring the website ROI (return on investment) is a good way to make this point in your annual website reports.
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Wikis in Higher Ed
From
Weblogg-ed"I've had wikis on the brain lately (as anyone subscribed to my Furl feed would know.) They were a hot topic at the workshop I did last weekend, and I've been putting together my presentation for CIL this week called 'Wikis @ Your Library' (which, if anyone has any more links to wikis in libraries I'd love to see them.) So this article (via Amy Bowllan) from the Washington Post was pretty interesting and has some relevance."
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The 'How Many Teachers are Blogging' Question
From
Weblogg-edSo guess what group had the largest representation in the recent Blogads survey of the blogosphere? That's right. Educators were almost 15% of the respondents, beating out computer types by almost over 4%. Which once again begs the question...just how many teachers are there out there blogging their worlds?
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The First and Second Laws of Simplicity
Found on
InfoDesignFrom
Maeda's SIMPLICITY blog'(1) A complex system of many functions can be simplified by carefully grouping related functions. (2) The positive emotional response derived from a simplicity experience has less to do with utility, and more to do with saving time.' (John Maeda - Simplicity)"
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Stanford Institute of Design
A Bold New Design Institute at Stanford
The design institute is intended to advance multidisciplinary innovation, place Stanford at the epicenter of the design world, and strengthen the connection between the university and industry. They call it the d.school.
Visit Stanford's d.school site
Comparing Portals, CMS, and "Nukes"
Found on
Column Two
From
CMSWatch - AskTony
A portal generally delivers content so it can be consumed. But portal software packages typically aggregate content and data from a variety of locations, and in many cases, include search and collaboration services as well. A web content management system generally supports the production of content, but some CMS products deliver content as well, which can make them 'portal-like.' This is especially the case in the open-source world, where CMS packages often grew out of dynamic page delivery systems.
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WebDevTips - how to get your site headlines syndicated
Found on
WebDevTips
Have you ever visited sites that have news headlines on them? Have you ever thought 'I have some cool stuff on my site, I wonder how I can get my site listed'?
Well wonder no more :) Basically here's how it works.
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WebDevTips - Making accessible forms part 2
Found on
WebDevTips
As outlined in part 1 of this article, forms are one of the most crucial parts of your website. They're used to complete important tasks such as buying products and contacting you so their accessibility is crucial. This second part of our two-part article outlines some more ways to optimise the accessibility of your forms.
Read more...: "
WebDevTips - Making accessible forms part 1
Found on
WebDevTips
Forms are one of the most crucial parts of your website. Forms are used to:
* Buy products
* Sign up to newsletters
* Contact you
These are the goals of your website! When a web user fills out a form they're doing something you want them to do. Unless you make sure they're accessible to one and all, some of your site visitors may not be able to perform some of these crucial tasks.
Read more...: "
Microsoft Commits to Better Standars Support in Internet Exporer 7
Found on
The Web Standards ProjectLead program manager for IE Chris Wilson has committed to improving standards support in Internet Explorer 7.
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Stylesheets for Handheld Devices
Found on
The Web Standards ProjectFrom
CSS-DiscussThis document describes some of the issues concerning the use of CSS for handheld devices (using the media type 'handheld'). See also MediaStylesheets for practical media stylesheet strategies.
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Harvard Rejects Those Who Saw Admissions
From
Excite News: Harvard Rejects Those Who Saw Admissions
Mar 9, 11:39 AM (ET) | By JAY LINDSAY
BOSTON (AP) - His decision came late at night, with his laptop propped in front of him in bed. Instructions on a Web site promised business school applicants like him an early online peek at whether they'd been accepted. Intrigued, he began typing.
A minute later he'd accessed the Harvard Business School's admission site, though all he saw was a blank page. That split-second decision cost the 28-year-old New Yorker a chance to attend the school this year.
Using RSS Enclosures in Schools
Found on
Weblogg-ed
RSS enclosures would make it really easy for teachers to distribute files to their students. A teacher could post lecture notes, multimedia content, or any other kind of electronic document and let each student's RSS reader take care of the rest. Similarly, school principals could use RSS to distribute newsletters or other materials to parents who are subscribed to a school's news feed.
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Class Weblogs Analysis and Reflections
Found on
Weblogg-edBud Gibson at Michigan State pointed me to his analysis of Weblog use in his classes last fall and it has some interesting insights into the dynamics of a blog classroom. What I like is that he shares the struggles and the solutions out in the open so we can all learn from his experience.
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How to measure the ROI of the college website? Step 1: Define Strategic Goals
Found on
collegewebeditor.comThis is is actually something that I am in the process of doing at my unversity. In addition I will be presenting at the CATS Conference this month on measuring web site success. Once I have done so I will post my conference presentation and also have the audio of the session available via a podcast.In its latest issue Educause Review features an article by Brian L. Hawkins and Diana G. Oblinger...
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Do You Know a Crossover Pro: Campus Technology
Found on
collegewebeditor.com
From
Campus Technology By John Savarese
A new breed of administrator is now vital to today’s enterprise systems management: the crossover specialist who understands both IT and functional sides.
There’s a new leader on campus these days, and though you may not be aware of it yet, he or she may be one of the primary drivers behind your institution’s current or future enterprise technology success. Who is this person? Names and faces may differ, but the profile says: crossover pro.
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OPEN Government Act appears to protect bloggers as members of media
Found on
Robert Ambrogi's Lawsites
OPEN Government Act appears to protect bloggers as members of media
The OPEN Government Act filed today to shore up the federal Freedom of Information Act would appear to include bloggers as members of the news media and thereby protect them from excessive fees for document requests.
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WebDevTips - Increased usability
Found on
WebDevTips
"Web accessibility has so many benefits that I really do wonder why such a large number of websites have such diabolically bad accessibility. One of the main benefits is increased usability, which according to usability guru, Jakob Nielson, can increase the sales/conversion rate of a website by 100% and traffic by 150%.
At which point you must surely be asking, “So if I make my website accessible its usability will increase and I'll make more money out of it?”. Well, not quite. An accessible website is not automatically more usable but there are many areas of overlap..."
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A quick way to test accessibility
Found on
O-jounalism Blog
...hugely grateful to Niel Eyde for his post highlighting two great tools for testing the accessibility of your website - one for Internet Explorer and one for Firefox. On first use it seems a very quick way to see what needs improving about your website to make it more accessible - including spotting images missing alt tags, missing coding, and colour blindness. With these to hand there really is no excuse.
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WebDevTips - A higher search engine ranking
Found on
WebDevTips
"An additional benefit of website accessibility is an improved performance in search engines. The more accessible it is to search engines, the more accurately they can predict what the site's about, and the higher your site will appear in the rankings."
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Developing sites for users with cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties
Found on
karmakars.comSUMMARY: This post discusses some of the the points raised at tonights WebstandardsGroup meeting on “Developing sites for users with cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties”. It also contains links to the presentation material and some related reading.
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Accessible Folksonomies: Accessibility, Usability and Web Standards
Found on
alttags.orgFor those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, a folksonomy is basically a taxonomy created by the people and for the people. A community of users collaborates by “tagging” various types of content with user created keywords. This concept is flourishing on a handful of community driven sites that all seem to have a certain addictive quality.
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A Concise Guide to the Major Internet Bodies
Found on
The Web Standards Project
From
Ubiquity: An ACM IT Magazine and Forum
The bodies responsible for the Internet's protocols and parameters can be said to steer the Internet in a significant sense. This document, by Alex Simonelis of Dawson College in Montreal, is a summary of those bodies and their most important characteristics.
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Freshman blogs: new marketing tools for admission offices
Found on
collegewebeditor.comMore and more colleges are surfing on the blogging wave to boost prospective students’ interest in their institution by supporting and promoting a few hand-picked freshman bloggers.
Simmons College does it. Furman University and Alfred University , too.
By reading these blogs, high school seniors and their parents (as well as anybody interested in what could be a kind of college reality TV) can follow the life of these current students turned into their college’s online ambassadors.
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A New you.edu
Here are some examples on how to approach a university web redesign and foster open communications with the campus community...I will be using these as future resources!
Blogging to redesign the website
Maybe Ohio University can learn something from their in-state rival...
Found on
collegewebeditor.comBlogging to redesign the websiteHere is a very good idea from The Ohio State University (thanks to Will Richardson, the K-12 blog guru from Weblogg-Ed for the tip) .
The Communication and Marketing Department at OSU has been using a web blog “to inform the Ohio State community about the process behind an upcoming redesign of (the) web site’s front door, as well as associated, new second-level pages.”
The OSU redesign webblog is a central place to share design sketches, project updates and suggestions. Thanks to the “comment” blog feature, any stakeholder who follows the project can easily give feedback.
I really think this blog beats the traditional redesign committee’s status reports and meetings, because it gives every stakeholder a chance to look at the design in the context it’s supposed to work - on a computer screen - and to give instant - yet articulated - written feedback.
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IBM to Demonstrate Portfolio of Accessibility Technologies for ISVs and Web Developers at PartnerWorld
Found on
ArriveNet Technology Press ReleasesSolutions Enable Developers to Make the Web Widely AccessibleDistribution Source : Market Wire
Date : Wednesday - March 02, 2005
LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Market Wire - Mar 02, 2005) -- IBM today introduced a range of solutions and developers' tools that open up the Worldwide Web and other information technology to the aging workforce and people with disabilities at its annual PartnerWorld Conference.
This portfolio of accessibility technologies enables ISVs/developers to make web sites and IT systems accessible and, further underscores IBM's commitment to providing information technology that everyone can use.
Included at the PartnerWorld demonstration is IBM's innovative talking Web browser, the Home Page Reader version 3.04, an effective tool for developers to test Web pages for accessibility early in the prototype and design stage as well as after the content or application has been deployed.
Full Press Release >>>
Blogs & wikis: Technologies for enterprise applications?
Found on
Column TwoLauren Wood has written an
article that looks at the use of blogs and wikis in the enterprise. To quote:
Blogs and wikis are flexible practices and technologies that are increasingly being used within companies and organizations to ease the creation and dissemination of information, as well as making it easier for companies to communicate effectively with customers, partners, and the public. This article discusses some of the salient features of blogs and wikis, and give examples of companies who already have implemented one or more of these systems.
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Traveling? Free Wireless Internet (WiFi) Spots in California
Found on
Chuck Goetschel Blog
Take a look at the following free Wireless Internet (WiFi) Spots in California and see for yourself just how fast this trend is growing! How long until you think this list doubles?"
Go to list...
Use Cases Part II: Taming Scope: A List Apart
Found on
A List Apart
by Norm Carr and Tim Meehan
When web projects go wrong, the cause can often be traced to misunderstanding and miscommunication about scope: what you thought your client wanted and what they thought they were getting doesn’t match. The later in a project this is discovered, the costlier for someone it can become.
To manage scope effectively, we have to define what the site must contain, what optional features would be good to have, and what features are irrelevant – and then we have to deal with newly requested or discovered needs and enhancements.
The use-case model can be a powerful tool for controlling scope throughout a project’s lifecycle. Because a simplified use-case model can be understood by all project participants, it can also serve as a framework for ongoing collaboration as well as a visual map of all agreed-upon functionality. It can, therefore, be a precious reference during later negotiations that might affect the project’s scope.
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Two steps forward....20 steps back
I came across this post today:
From homepage to furniture: a new take on higher ed website design?, on
collegewebeditor.com about Ohio University's new website. You should really take a look at it and then read my comments...better yet I'll paste my comments below. I can't believe how heated this has gotten me!
------------------------- pasted comment text--------------------------
That homepage looks like an early design from before the web matured. I can’t stand site designs based on metaphors. So sad to see a major university take a step back in site design and information architecture. Even worse, as a direct result of the design they are forced to have a separate text-only version. Today good site design is one that is forward compatible and has a single design that works across all end-user environments. In a time when college and university sites should be moving towards segmentation and personalization Ohio launches a site that potentially only appeals to one of their many user-segments. Last, the design does very little to create a digital identity and online brand for the university. What a let down!
WOW! So much for web standards, accessibility, and user-centered design. Every negative aspect that I can see in this new site (lack of Section 508 compliancy, lack of web standards, etc.) are direct results of a design that is based around what either someone or some committee wanted and not what their end-users desire or find appealing. I may not work for Ohio University but a cross-section of end-users will show that the demographics of any college or university web users is pretty much the same...as are the end-user segments...that's enough for now...I'm getting too worked up again.
Perhaps someone should have given them a copy of Dr. Pam Cox-Otto that I mentioned in my first post to the blog. Here it is again from that post,
So far the only resource that I've found is a book by Pam Cox-Otto, PH.D. Make Your Web Site Work: Research and Guidance for Effective Recruiting published by LRP Publications. This book is a MUST! for any one involved with a university web site. There is much more value in this book than simply recruitment-related data and information. Dr. Cox-Otto has done incredible research with user segments from the traditional high school student to non-traditional adult learners and from business partners to alumni. In her book she shares her results and also provides recommendations on how to address the needs of these various and varied user groups.
I tell you what...take a look and tell me what you think. The design is clever and novel at best but how unfortunate for such a reputable institute of higher education.
Read more...
Best Practices in Online Student Services
Best Practices in Online Student Services Web Conference :: March 9, 2005: 1:00 -3:00 P.M. ESTOverview:
The goal of successfully delivering online student services has proven elusive for many institutions. Some organizations, however, have designed and deployed the necessary changes.
Join us on an online tour to discover best practices of essential student services as well as non-essential, yet desirable services.
Who Should Attend:
This session will be most valuable for those interested in a survey of best practices from peer institutions, including student services professionals, communications and web managers, enrollment managers, academic deans, information technology officers and anyone interested in the delivery of student services using the web.
Program Agenda:
Best Practices in Online Student Services
March 9, 2005 :: 1:00 -3:00 P.M. EST
Institutions must make all on-campus student services available online so students can conduct all of their business remotely. The presentation includes best practices in the following online services:
* Registration
* Grades
* Unofficial transcripts and transcript ordering
* Financial aid application, processing, and notification
* Notification and delivery of student bills, payments, and refunds
* Library services
* Book buying and buy-back
* Sale of computer software and hardware
* Progress toward degree audits
* Interactive class schedule
* Detailed course syllabi
* Interactive university bulletin
* Graduation application, processing, and notification
* Disability services
* 24-hour computer help desk
* Live online technical assistance
* Voicemail on all staff phones
* All forms available online in printable and submittable formats
* Electronic work flow (e-signatures)
* Online student union
* Admissions application, processing, and notification
* Transfer credit application, processing, and no"
Measuring Web Site Success Web Conference
For colleges and universities, web sites are more important than ever. Tight budgets force more information and services online, alumni and parents grow increasingly web savvy, and, of course, students of all ages practically live online. Measuring your site's success is tricky business, though - content grows, technologies become more complex, and privacy measures make site traffic analysis a challenge. Join us for a discussion of practical ways to measure the success of your site from a non-technical perspective.
PROGRAM AGENDA
Using real-life examples, your instructors will lead a discussion of how to glean the most usable information (both quantitative and qualitative) about your web site from a variety of sources, including:
-- Web server log files
-- Traffic analysis software
-- Webmaster emails and other email feedback
-- Surveys
-- Your site's search engine
-- Usability studies
-- Focus groups
This web conference will also focus on how to apply this data to ensure that you use your web site to communicate in the most effective way possible. Further, discussion will include:
-- Common myths about web stats
-- Best practices and standards for measuring your site
-- Common pitfalls to avoid
INSTRUCTORS
Melissa Meehan, Buffalo State College<<
As the Web Administration Director for the State University of New York system's largest college, Melissa leads a team responsible for all aspects of the college's official award-winning site, which totals more than 25,000 pages and attracts more than 180,000 visitors a month.
Ned Stankus, Hamilton College<<
Ned manages web site content for Hamilton College, a highly-selective liberal arts college located in Central New York. Ned enjoys finding reliable data about how people use Hamilton's Web site, although the topic is a constant source of frustration for him.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
If you're in a position to make decisions based on web site statistics and feedback, you will benefit from the practical advice offered in this web conference. Web designers will learn tips for building measurable websites, while professionals in alumni relations, admissions, student recruitment, and advancement who rely on the web to communicate with their constituents will come away with a practical understanding of how to use web statistics to assess their sites.
REGISTER
To register, please call 720-488-6800 or visit
https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/0305_success.php
New Staff Directories Report
Found on
Column Two: New Staff Directories report
I'm excited to announce the release today of our new Staff Directories report. This 91-page report contains best-practice guidance on the design and implementation of online staff directories.
In this report you will find:
* detailed exploration of staff directory fields and features (both common and advanced)
* dozens of screenshots illustrating key points
* design guidelines for all staff directory pages (including search screens, profile pages, organisational charts, and more)
* in-depth discussion on how to keep your staff directory up-to-date
* outline of practical approaches to developing your staff directory
* full results of a public survey into staff directory usage
* tips and suggestions relating to all aspects of staff directories
If you are implementing a new online staff directory as part of your intranet, this report will be invaluable. If you are enhancing an existing directory, the best practice guidelines and suggestions will provide many ideas on the next steps to take."
Read entire report...
