Northwestern University IT Site Redesign

Sun, Mar 29, 2009

Featured, Web

Northwestern University IT Site Redesign

The Original Design

Problems with the original design:

  1. Problem 1- The design did not reflect Northwestern University branding, specifically color. I felt this was important because the NUIT organization supports teaching, research, and the administration of the University, and therefore should reflect the brand.
  2. Problem 2 – The site was in table format, which meant it wasn’t W3C compliant (and Web accessible).
  3. Problem 3 - It was difficult getting various NUIT departments onboard of using the university content management system because they wanted their work to be on a site that showed forward-thinking design, a technology presence, Web 2.0 features, and a site that represented the change in time.
  4. Problem 4 – The home page was a content overload to an average user. I believe you should be able to go to a Web page and there should be links, navigation, etc. somewhere where you can identify yourself (especially on a service-driven such as the NUIT site)

The ReDesign

Resolution to the problem:

  1. I brought back the purple hue and added yellow and gray as accents.
  2. The site templates are in CSS format (meaning, the entire site is now Web accessible and W3C compliant.
  3. All departments within NUIT are now asking how they can build a Web site within the CMS. In addition, they want CMS training, and? information on how to they can utilize our teams marketing and communications services to brand and announce their projects the the university community. We’ve implemented RSS feeds, Blog capabilities, a YouTube campaign video, Podcasts, Webinars and more.
  4. Four identified site users were created based on site traffic analysis. The numerous mini-sites and Web pages were divided and organized into drop-down menus.

About Web Accessibility

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact and contribute to the Web. It encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, speech, cognitive, neurological, and physical disabilities. Learn more by going to the following links:

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