Jenny Clift [HREF1], Corporate Web Editor, Marketing and Development Unit [HREF2] , University of South Australia [HREF3], South Australia, 5000. jenny.clift@unisa.edu.au
This paper describes the user-centred and unique features of the redevelopment of the University of South Australia's corporate website. The redevelopment began with usability testing, followed by a novel methodology called topic sorting to develop the optimal information architecture for the site. Designed using cascading stylesheets and server-side includes for presentation and layout, the website is compliant with W3C web accessibility guidelines. Web authoring and web development guides were released with the launch of the website to aid conversions by sub-sites.
Unique features
This paper will highlight the unique features of the redevelopment of UniSA's website, as follows:
Background
The University of South Australia's web presence commenced in the early 1990s with a few web pages on a single web server maintained by one person using a text-based editor. Since then, apart from a cosmetic revamp in 1997, no major redevelopment had taken place until 2003. The current redeveloped site consists of more than 500,000 pages over 60 web servers, the content of which is maintained by more than 300 web authors.
The goals of the corporate web redevelopment in 2003 were:
The redevelopment of the UniSA website was completed and launched in August 2003. Along with the launch, a set of Web Management Guidelines were established as a policy framework for the management of the website and the conversion of lower level sub-sites to the W3C Priority 1 and 2 web accessibility compliant templates.
The uptake of conversions among sub-sites across the University has been enthusiastic with 40 areas to date having converted their websites hosted on the corporate as well as other servers.
Prior to redevelopment of the corporate website, usability testing was conducted by ARC Key Centre for Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Psychology, University of Queensland, using proprietary software developed by them. The participants in the user group numbered 103 representing key user groups: staff, prospective students, current students, international students; alumni, donors, clients and potential clients, and media.
The usability testing identified key weaknesses of the website in relation to its information architecture, content and graphic design, and provided direction on the areas to focus on in the redevelopment.
Further to the usability testing, through the same Key Centre, Topic Sorting, undertaken among a similar number of participants, was conducted. Through the methodology of cluster analysis, the topic sorting generated an optimum information architecture for the site. Further consultation with user groups, and graphic design testing, refined this information architecture
The UniSA website was designed using technologies that maximised functionality and ease of use of the templates. The latter was particularly important given the wide disparity in authoring skills of the 400 or so of the university's web authors.
A web development consultant was contracted to write the Cascading Stylesheets (CSS) to underpin the layout and look of the new website. CSS is a means of separating the presentation of a webpage from the structural markup language. Many websites use CSS for the look - ie fonts and colours - but not for layout. UniSA's website uses only CSS for the layout of the basic page. Because UniSA's website is freed from presentation code, webpages are much faster to load and contain only the structural HTML code. A separate stylesheet for printing was also developed.
The stylesheets combine the use of Server Side Includes (SSI) to create an environment where changes in page design, left hand navigation and the look and feel can be easily executed centrally through changes to common files. Also the use of SSIs will make it easier to move to a content management system in future.
To view the UniSA website and elements of the web design, go to:
UniSA home page http://www.unisa.edu.au/
Sub-page (with LH navigation)
http://www.unisa.edu.au/business/doingbusiness/default.asp
Sub-page (without LH navigation)
http://www.unisa.edu.au/about/intro/milestones.asp
Sub-page fullscreen
http://www.unisa.edu.au/about/campuses/cwmap.asp
Authoring and migration
Ease and flexibility of use are strong features of the new corporate web templates. Having web pages free of presentation code makes authoring of these pages uncomplicated. The use of CSS and SSI additionally provides a platform for standardisation of the look and feel and at the same time provides flexibility for individual areas to incorporate elements that differentiate them from the top level corporate pages. These elements include banner colour, banner graphic and name of sub-site (to be incorporated in the banner).
A new publishing tool and a comprehensive Web Authoring Guide were also developed as part of the redevelopment. http://www.unisa.edu.au/wag/design/spectemplates.asp
To view a UniSA sub-site and the variable elements of the template, go to:
Sub-site home page
http://www.unisa.edu.au/itee/
Sub-site sub-page
http://www.unisa.edu.au/hls/about/default.asp
In line with UniSA's commitment to ensure university-wide online accessibility, the new website was designed to comply with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Priority 1 and 2 web accessibility guidelines. The home page was designed strictly using CSS and without the use of tables - this is a first for tertiary education website in Australia.
At two stages during the redevelopment process of the site, Vision Australia were engaged to evaluate the website home page and the templates for compliance. In addition, the web training sessions that are currently run to assist in the use of the templates, and the contents of the Web Authoring Guide, incorporate relevant web accessibility components to ensure that all sub-sites migrating to the new templates are developed to meet Priority 1 and 2 W3C web accessibility guidelines.