Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Web Redesign - Go LIve
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Web Redesign - Homepage & Top Level Pages
First, we have a new test server that mirrors the software and platform of our production web server. This will help make the transition from development to production a smooth process. This means the link to the new page design has been moved to (http://etsuw2dev.etsu.edu/etsuhome) , so be sure to update your bookmarks. Please note that since this is only a test server, it cannot be viewed from off campus. Sorry!
Second, we have continued to work on the homepage. OIT wrote a new campus alert system, and we have incorporated that. When there is a major alert, like a school closing, you will see a red box just above the highlights section. Please note, any alerts you see on these test pages are NOT ACTUAL ALERTS, these are TEST ALERTS ONLY. The alerts will function just like they have in the past: each alert will be represented by a color coded box that sits in the top gold bar on the page.
Hovering over that box will give you the title of the alert, clicking that box will take you to a detailed explanation of the alert.
As promised, we have also implemented the slider for the homepage highlights area. This will allow university relations to put up videos and graphics highlighting great things on campus.
Finally, many of the second level pages are linked up and have information on them. These pages are a work in progress, so we are still updating links and some information. By design, these pages have links that are organized in easy to find categories. Each link also has a set of keywords to help you understand what information is at that link location.
The content of these pages is a result of countless hours that the web steering sub-committee spent working on headings and links for each second level page. Thanks again to everyone who devoted so much time to that. We hope you will like the ability to get to detailed information more quickly.
The major navigation that is visible on the homepage, is also available on each second level page. Therefore, if a user clicks into the "Faculty/Staff" page, then wants to reach student organizations he/she can click the "Campus Life" link directly, without having to go back to the homepage.
As always, thanks for your input and support as we move closer to launching the new site!
http://etsuw2dev.etsu.edu/etsuhome
Friday, October 29, 2010
Web Redesign - Homepage Work in Progress
We still have work to do....the links don't actually go anywhere yet, back-end systems (like alerts and people finder) are not hooked up yet, the highlights banner does not rotate and we have some tweaking to do with the spacing. But a lot has been accomplished. The page is operational in IE 7, 8, and the more recent versions of Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera. Our goal was to provide a clean (table free) layout, with minimal required client side scripting.
We are working on a system for easily refreshing content in the highlights and news/events section. This will include a way for the ETSU community to suggest news/events/highlights so that everyone on campus and in the community will know about the great things going on at ETSU.
We hope you enjoy the new look of the ETSU homepage. If you have problems viewing the page in your browser, please post a note with details so we can check it out. Please note, the page may be a little slow to load. This is expected, and won't be a factor when the page goes live.
We will be posting the 2nd level pages....so stay tuned!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Web Redesign - Graphic & 2nd Level Pages
The goal is to get the user from the homepage to the information needed, as quickly as possible. Therefore, some of the homepage sub-links will go directly to a department or unit site (for example under the category "Arts & Entertainment", the link "Arts @ ETSU" will go directly to the arts page at http://www.etsu.edu/cas/arts . Other, main homepage links, will take users to a second level page of additional categories and links. For example, clicking the heading "Arts & Entertainment" will take the user to a second level page of links.
We imagine each of these pages will evolve over time, but the basic layout works well with the homepage and blends into the CMS template used for department and college level pages. The major navigation that is visible on the homepage, is also available on each second level page. Therefore, if a user clicks into the "Faculty/Staff" page, then wants to reach student organizations he/she can click the "Campus Life" link directly, without having to go back to the homepage.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Web Redesign - Full Homepage Graphic
the target audience for the homepage is prospective and current students. therefore, they play a significant role in the homepage design. In addition to providing access to information, it will be important to use the homepage as a marketing tool, promoting ETSU activities and achievements and providing an idea of campus and academic life for prospective students.
In the survey responses, you said you wanted
- improved navigation. Fewer links, more understandable sections. Much better navigation at the second-tier level, so getting to basic sites is more obvious
- more variety in presentation - not so scripted, more links to what is going on on campus, weekly highlights boasting about students, student groups, faculty and staff at ETSU
- Make it easier to find department links. Have "Quick links" to important information
- New Pictures. change the pictures! More vibrant colors. more current style
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Web Redesign - Search Features
By default, when the page loads, you will see the ETSU search box in the top right corner. Here is a screenshot of that:
If you want to do a people search, you will click the "People Finder" link in the top right, and a new search box will drop down....covering the ETSU search option, so there is no confusion. You can enter a name and perform a people search directly. Here is a screenshot:
We hope this will be a good solution to our current search dilemma!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Web Redesign - Navigation
- Exact (this will be the A-Z index)
- Audience Specific (links targeted to specific groups of people like "current students", "faculty/staff")
- Task Specific (these will be in the form of dropdown "quicklinks" for things like D2L and Goldmail)
- Topical (major categories of interest, such as "Academics" and "Campus Life")
these navigation systems are grouped together in different sections of the page to provide easy access to the information users need. User data was collected and analyzed to come up with labels for these links that would be easy to understand and send users in the appropriate direction for information.
Here is a snapshot of the audience specific navigation which sits in the top third of the page:
Here is a snapshot of the categorical or topical navigation which sits in the middle of the page:
Here is a snapshot of the task specific information. This will be in the form of a quicklinks dropdown that is easily accessible from the top navigation bar: