March 7, 2008 Web Advisory Committee

Overview of Presentation Completed Activities –Campus Survey of Web administrators –Assessment of the current Common Look and Feel (CLF) –Assessment of Web space navigation issues and best practices –How well are we “Managing Content” –Audience Research Current Plans Recommendations to UCIST

Campus Survey of Web administrators Distributed to 130 staff with Web support responsibilities; completed by 88 Most (64%) feel that their Web site is effective and well maintained Lack of time was considered to be the biggest impediment to improving their site Most were satisfied (52%) or somewhat satisfied (27%) with the tools they were using (Dreamweaver & Contribute) and support received (59%) Audience was equally divided in support for minor refinements, a refresh or a major facelift of the CLF

Assessment of the Current Common Look and Feel (CLF) Identify where the CLF is unclear and provide recommendations Each specific component was reviewed to understand issues and the level of compliance Identified the need to clarify documentation and “tweak” current templates Future considerations for development of new templates

Assessment of CLF Web space Navigation Issues and Current Practices Observation that a wide range of navigation techniques are being used Lack of consistency attributed to requirements going beyond solutions proposed by CLF Some refinements possible for current CLF: documentation, review of navigation terminology, … Review of current practices of other institutions for consideration in future versions of the CLF

How well are we “Managing Content” Responsibilities for managing content are very decentralized and time is the biggest constraint A wide variety of solutions being used: DW templates, Server Side Includes, Content Management Systems Many people using tools that are too complex (Dreamweaver vs Contribute) Recommendation that a campus Content Management System (CMS) should be considered to support future implementations of a CLF

Audience Research Identifies need for systematic and ongoing process of user research What do we want our websites to achieve – what are our audiences looking for Build on current CLF to be more user centred, task centred and collaborative Redesign projects should be grounded in audience research taking into account current and potential users.

Current Plans Update CLF documentation and minor “tweaking” of the template (WebOps) Clarify navigation issues within the current CLF: terminology, use of right vnav, use of other navigation techniques (e.g. breadcrumbs), search Compile list of content management best practices (including recommendations on appropriate tools) Identify and prioritize target audences for each web site and develop a strategy to ensure that Web sites focus on site objectives and audience needs

Recommendations to UCIST Provide direction on investigation into potential use of Content Management Systems Provide direction on ensuring that Web maintenance responsibilities are documented in HR job descriptions Provide direction on web site compliance with the CLF; who decides, what actions are taken? Provide direction on Web Advisory priorities in support of and in preparation for Marketing and Communications task force initiatives.