Nathan Ethell
Staff Writer
The start of every new school year brings with it new friends, fresh classes and innovative improvements for the campus and its students.
Among the changes this year is an upgrade in the layout of the University Web site known as the Web Unification Project.
The project kicked off in 2002 by Web and Multimedia Services, an organization formed to foster the further expansion of the University’s growing Web presence. The project included six major Web redesigns, which equates to approximately 40,000 Web pages, and integration of new technologies like a search engine and content management.
“We aimed to develop complementary designs for each school that unify our overall Web presence, while at the same time, enable each school to maintain its individual identity and appeal to its respective audiences,” said the director of Web and Multimedia Services, Matt Midura.
The purpose of the new design was to create the Web in a way that could be an effective marketing tool for prospective donors and students, as well as in academia with our own secure Intranet.
Research for the new site included gathering reviews from hundreds of higher institution Web sites from all over the country and observing feedback from audiences like prospective and current students and alumni.
“We really enjoyed the discovery process as it allowed us to explore our Web site through a collaborative process that incorporated feedback from the University community, ensuring that the new Web site is predicated on a collective vision,” Midura said.
Feedback on the new Web site has been mixed.
“The new Web site is great,” said freshman Anthony Kennada. “The look and feel is much more user friendly, and the pages are more easily accessible.”
Others aren’t as pleased with the changes.
“I’ve noticed that the integration of the old and new Web pages isn’t as efficient as it should be,” said freshman Amanda Leahy. “Direct links to E-mail, convo attendance and schedules would be more helpful.”
09-16-2004