DEPARTMENTAL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT PROJECT PLAN May & June 2015
Table f Cntents Faculty f Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject Backgrund... 3 Needs... 3 Objective... 4 Target Audiences... 5 Platfrm, Hsting and Standards... 5 Prcess Overview... 6 Apprach... 7 Timeframe... 8 Cmmunicatins Plan... 8 Prject Team... 8 Executive Stakehlders... 8 Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 2
Backgrund Fr the Faculty f Arts & Science s many departments, centres, institutes and schls, their websites are their primary cmmunicatins vehicles and their main face t the wrld. Their websites play a pivtal rle in sharing imprtant infrmatin with key audiences and celebrating departmental successes. T empwer departments t better engage with digital audiences, the Faculty f Arts & Science Cmmunicatins and Infrmatin & Instructinal Technlgy (IIT) teams are undertaking a departmental website redesign prject using the Drupal cntent management platfrm. Until nw, each departmental website has featured a unique design meaning as visitrs navigate frm site t site, they essentially need t learn afresh hw t find critical infrmatin. This is especially prblematic fr prspective students, wh may research multiple departments acrss the Faculty. Furthermre, sme websites are missing fundatinal features such as accessible cntent and mbile-friendly design. Needs There are a number f factrs that necessitate a centrally-managed verhaul f departmental websites, including: 1. Departmental websites lack cnsistent navigatin, making it difficult fr users t find the infrmatin they need and, when they are ready, t find their way back t central websites. 2. Departmental websites d nt always cnfrm t U f T s Visual Identity. 3. Many departmental websites are nt mbile-friendly, which makes viewing cntent a challenge fr smartphne and tablet users. 4. We must cmply with Accessibility fr Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelines. 5. Links t UTSC and UTM departmental cunterparts are nt cnsistent, and nt always easy t see. 6. Departmental staff d nt always have the time r resurces t maintain their sites design. Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 3
Objective Better serve the needs f website users while highlighting the unique strengths and features f each department. A department s website is its primary pprtunity t cmmunicate all f the vital infrmatin users cunt n it t prvide and highlight its unique strengths. Hwever, an incherent web presence can frustrate users by making it difficult fr them t find the infrmatin they need. Wrking clsely with departmental administrative staff t understand departments needs, we will deliver a small number f website templates that will: Feature a cherent, easy-t-navigate design that cnfrms t the University f Trnt Visual Identity. Offer a degree f chice departments will chse, frm the afrementined templates, the ne that best meets their needs. Be accessible t all users. All users deserve engaging, easy-t-read cntent. It s the right thing t d and it s the law, thanks t Ontari accessibility legislatin (AODA). Be mbile-friendly (51 per cent f Canadian Internet traffic in 2015 was linked t a phne r tablet, while 49 per cent was tied t a cmputer 1 ) with a respnsive design that displays prperly and is easy t read, regardless f users screen size. Feature clear, cncise, engaging cntent that adheres t best web writing practices. Be easy and less time-cnsuming t maintain. Hw Arts & Science will help: We will teach departmental staff hw t: Fllw best practices in usability, scannability, accessibility and readability. Write and re-purpse web cntent that will appeal t their key audiences. Effectively use, present and credit visuals such as phtgraphs and graphics. Manage and update their sites regardless f their experience level. We will prvide nging supprt by: Updating website templates n a regular basis n need fr departments t wrry abut paying fr maintaining r verhauling their sites design r technlgy in the future. Training new r additinal staff members as needed. Answering any questins staff may have abut their websites, r abut prducing effective cntent, at any time in the future. 1 Surce: cmscre Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 4
Target Audiences Primary Audiences Current undergraduate and graduate students, prspective students, faculty, staff, alumni and dnrs. Secndary Audiences Ptential emplyees, parents and high schl guidance cunsellrs, University f Trnt leadership/faculty/staff, clleagues at peer pst-secndary institutins, gvernment, and the media. Platfrm, Hsting and Standards Hsting The site will reside n a server managed by Arts & Science Infrmatin & Instructinal Technlgy (IIT). Platfrm We will mve all sites t the pen-surce Drupal cntent management system. Site Search T identity the mst effective ptin fr site search, we will evaluate the results perfrmance f bth the U f T Ggle search tl and the nbard Drupal search feature. Analytics We will investigate web analytics prviders and cmmunicate the results t departments. Accessibility We are respnsible fr meeting new accessibility requirements that came int effect n January 1, 2014. These requirements specify that we make ur websites and web cntent accessible accrding t the Wrld Wide Web Cnsrtium s (W3C) Web Cntent Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. We will incrprate an Accessibility Statement link as per U f T s AODA Office. Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 5
Drupal renders W3C-validated, standards-cmpliant HTML. Cmpliance helps with crssbrwser cmpatibility and ensures websites are mre easily indexed by search engines. Prcess Overview 1. Explratin and Planning Meet with departmental staff t uncver their needs; identify cmmnalities amng departments; and examine peer websites. Develp site re-launch plans and requirements in cnsultatin with departmental and IIT staff. 2. Cllect Feedback Cllect and analyze feedback frm users via nline surveys and in-persn interviews in rder t understand their needs. 3. Cntent Analysis Departmental staff will review all f their website pages and determine which cntent will remain, which cntent will be deleted, and which new cntent must be created. Senir Cmmunicatins & Web Liaisn will be available fr advice and supprt. 4. Architecture Create a diagrammatic representatin f sites navigatin, including cntent hierarchy, and secure departmental apprval. 5. Wireframes Develp a skeletal blueprint f hw website cntent will be arranged n templates and secure departmental apprval. 6. Design Develp a lk and feel fr website templates, including graphic styles, clurs and fnts. The University f Trnt s Visual Identity and the need fr departments t cmmunicate their unique strengths in a cnsistent manner will be tp-f-mind. 7. Mck-Ups Create visual mck-ups f website templates and secure departmental apprval. 8. Early Develpment Set up server, prduce cde fr basic design, and secure departmental apprval. Create migratin plans fr migrating selected cntent frm WrdPress sites t new Drupal envirnment. Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 6
9. Cntent Revise existing cntent and draft new cntent as required, and set up wrkflws and apprval chains, in cperatin with departments. 10. Develpment Cde templates; select, develp and test any special mdules and features; and migrate cntent t beta sites. 11. Testing and Debugging Ensure websites wrk acrss all majr brwsers; add URL redirects as needed frm ld sites; ensure cmpliance guidelines are met; and cnduct usability testing with relevant audiences. 12. Training Prvide training t departmental site managers. 13. Release Transfer sites t live server, cmplete final testing and crss-brwser checks, launch new sites, and prmte sites. 14. Evaluatin Gather pst-launch user feedback, implement nging maintenance and editrial plans, cllect and analyze analytics, and implement a brader cmmunicatins strategy. 15. Onging Training, Advice and Assistance Prvide nging cmmunicatins, technical and design supprt t departments. Apprach Nine departments have indicated their interest in participating in this prject s first iteratin (Summer 2015 - Winter 2016). After meeting with departments, we will divide the departments int three grups f three. Each grup will be tackled cnsecutively in phases 1, 2 and 3. Hwever, t ensure the templates reflect the needs f all participating departments, we will meet with all departments and cllect feedback frm users f all nine departmental websites via nline surveys in phase 1. Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 7
Timeframe A detailed critical path utlying key milestnes and deadlines will be develped in cnsultatin with each unit. Cmmunicatins Plan Once the prject is underway, departmental leads can expect: Cmmunicatin f prject prgress as it happens (t be sent by email) Bi-weekly prject status updates (t be sent by email) A mnthly at-a-glance prject reprt (t be sent by email) In-persn meetings as needed Executive stakehlders (see belw) can expect: Bi-weekly prject status updates (t be sent by email) A mnthly at-a-glance prject reprt (t be sent by email) Prject Team Kathleen Fiesta, Senir Manager, Applicatins & Develpment kathleen.fiesta@utrnt.ca 416-978-3887 Christine Elias, Assciate Directr, Cmmunicatins christine.elias@utrnt.ca 416-946-5499 Kaitlin Klaas, Senir Cmmunicatins & Web Liaisn kaitlin.klaas@utrnt.ca 416-978-1128 Kelly Brwn, Web Develpment Officer kelly.brwn@utrnt.ca 416-946-3117 Web Designer (TBD) Executive Stakehlders Kim McLean, Chief Administrative Officer kim.mclean@utrnt.ca 416-978-5141 Kim Luke, Directr, Cmmunicatins kim.luke@utrnt.ca 416-978-4352 Philip Wright, Directr, Infrmatin & Instructinal Technlgy philip.wright@utrnt.ca 416-978-4304 Arts & Science Departmental Website Redesign Prject 8