Website redesign project is underway
Posted September 2nd, 2009 by Anonymous
The UW website redesign project is underway! This post will explain some of the background around the redesign project including rationale, people involved, and relationship to other current activities on campus.
To help us understand what you need from our website, please take our feedback survey. Your feedback will help us to create a site that is not only attractive, but also functional.
Why redesign?
There are two main reasons for the redesign project:
- to demonstrate the attributes defined in the new UW identity, including the visual expression.
- to improve the user experience, including enhancements to the navigation as well as improving consistency throughout the UW web space
Our directions are clear: the UW website needs to position the university as unconventional, creative, risk-taking, and experimental. How we approach that direction will be a key focus of this project over the next few months.
At the same time, we understand that the website is a functional tool. People need to use the website to quickly and accurately find information and do things such as check email and find library resources. The website must support these user activities while also demonstrating UW's unique characteristics.
It has become evident over the past few years that the current UW template design does not suit all UW sites. The new template framework will be more flexible, enabling all units to develop a website that works for their content while still ensuring consistency across the UW web space.
Project team
The core redesign team currently includes:
- Megan McDermott - project lead (until October 2, replacement TBA)
- Sarah Forgrave - faculty representative
- Yanwei Xiao - co-op student for fall, 2009
We will also be obtaining support from UW graphics (graphic design and technical support), Marketing & Undergraduate Recruitment (marketing, audience research, design & development ideas) and Communications and Public Affairs (content development).
Megan McDermott will be starting her maternity leave on October 2. Before that date
transition will be made to a new team
leader.
Timelines
Currently, our plan is to have something to show the public in January. It is anticipated that the redesigned UW site would be launched in May, 2010. The design would then be rolled out throughout the UW web space starting in spring 2010.
Website redesign and the new visual identity
The visual identity system has not yet been finalized. However, this does not prevent the website redesign from moving forward. There are many activities that need to be completed before the visual design for the website is created. This includes audience research, content analysis, information architecture, and navigation design.
How to provide feedback
A feedback survey is available. In addition, you are free to post comments here, become a fan of our Facebook page, or to contact us directly.
Q&A for UW website maintainers
Creating a template framework that works well for all UW sites is a key part of the redesign project. A feedback survey for website maintainers will be available shortly.
Will all UW websites have to conform?
All UW websites will be expected to adopt the new templates. Reasonable timelines will be allowed and support will be provided to those who need it. Compliance will be enforced – and exceptions granted – by the Web Steering Committee.
We will make every effort to ensure that the new templates meet your website's needs.
What does this have to do with WCMS project?
The redesign team will work with the Web Content Management System (WCMS) project team to ensure templates work properly in the new system.
Will Dreamweaver templates be available?
Yes, we are planning to release Dreamweaver templates with the new design. These should be ready within 2 months of the main launch. The redesign team will be available to act as a resource for areas implementing the templates on their own.
Will other templates be available?
Currently our plan is to release templates for Dreamweaver and the WCMS, as well as a plain HTML version. Templates for other platforms (e.g. Wordpress) may be developed in the future.
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Comments
Don't forget that we want more Flash buttons (with the cool alien-spaceship effect when you hover over them!), like on this page: http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infofin/students/stdfees.htm
Some things I'd like to know:
1) How much is this going to cost? The university is always blaming the lack of funds when asked about new services or lab equipment, but seems to have plenty of money for making itself look silly^H^H^H^H^H"unconvential and experimental".
2) Which browsers will be actively supported? Don't think for a moment that you can get away with just Internet Explorer.
3) Will you allow for graceful degradation? Some of us prefer to surf with Flash and Javascript disabled. (In fact, client-side scripting shouldn't even be necessary for a university website!)
Thanks.
Posted by R on September 21st, 2009 at 12:28pm
Hi "R",
To address your points:
1) At this point we're not sure what the cost will be. We were originally planning to do this in-house but the resources just aren't here. Our website isn't only our public image - it's also a tool that many people use every day. We recognize that the design site isn't working very well for website visitors or for the staff responsible for maintaining UW sites. In order to fix this we do need to make an investment.
2 & 3) Of course it will work in different browsers and configurations! This is a key tenet of professional web design today. The current UW web templates have been designed and maintained to work in all browsers, and the new design will be no different (although I hope we'll be able to phase out full support for IE6!). Accessibility is another good reason to do this. In order for the site to work for people with disabilities, it has to work without scripting, plugins, images etc.
I disagree that client-side scripting shouldn't be necessary. Okay, maybe not "necessary" but it's certainly useful. We expect to be adding some non-intrusive enhancements using JavaScript to improve the user experience. The key is to do this subtly and only when it's helpful to the user.
Posted by Megan McDermott on September 22nd, 2009 at 11:07am
Hello,
I agree with R, we need lots of lasers and space ships cool animations, make it more exciting. If that new logo cost thousands of dollars, I cannot imagine how much it will cost to change this site:
1. We students need to know how much will it cost, and who will design the web site, is it Meg Beckel and her UW logo design team or an actually a professional designer from this school?
2. If this change is success, you guys need to hire people from this school, after all, we are one of the best school for computer science.
Thanks.
Sincerely
S
2.
Posted by S on March 1st, 2010 at 1:29am
I do not like it. It insults Waterloo's commitment to academics. It looks very "amateur-ish" ; something one might do for a high school project
Posted by Matt on May 10th, 2010 at 11:31am