Posts filed under 'Website Redesign'
We launched a two-week web survey on May 5. The survey will help the web site redesign team develop a profile of our current users, so we have a better understanding of how they view and use our services. The survey is available from a graphic residing on the Libraries’ home page for the two week period, or through a pop-up window that will appear when people come to our home page. If a user declines to take the survey, they won’t get the pop-up again on future visits.
The redesign team is also working on setting up focus groups to also help us evaluate how the current site is used, as well as determining its strengths and weaknesses.
We’ll let you know the results of the web survey when we have them.
May 6th, 2008
A bit more information on links to the Libraries on the redesigned OSU pages.
The new design will feature the “Top 10″ links on the entire OSU web site. This dynamically loaded feature will display the most popular sites at the moment. The Libraries is one of the most popular links on the site, so we should show up in the Top 10 frequently.
Another link on the home page features the Libraries as a visitor destination. There is also a rotating “image of the day” that will include photos of campus activities and locations, including the Libraries.
The new OSU home page design features a navigational bar that includes “future students,” “current students,” “alumni and friends,” “faculty and staff,” “visitors,” “academics,” “research” and “outreach.” Clicking on any of the tabs takes you to a page related to that subject. There is a link to the Libraries’ web site on each of those pages.
So even though “Libraries” is not a choice at the top of the OSU home page the way it is now, a link to the Libraries web site will be featured in multiple locations on that page, as well as the individual pages mentioned above.
May 1st, 2008
While we work on a redesign of library.osu.edu, University Relations (UR) is in the midst of a redesign of the OSU’s website, osu.edu. The redesign, which has been presented to the OSU community through a blog, includes major changes in both its overall look and its organizational architecture. Members of Libraries’ website redesign team recently met with Ted Hattemer, director of UR’s Marketing Communications’ New Media group. Ted reviewed the changes with the team, which includes some significant positives for the Libraries. Although the link to the Libraries’ from the top of the current site is being eliminated, it is being replaced with multiple links throughout the site. In addition to a front-page link placed about midway down the screen, there will be links to the Libraries at several logical places throughout the site.
Meanwhile, we’ll be utilizing an online survey and a series of focus groups to gather input from both current and potential users on their needs from OSUL’s web site. The survey, which will be administered randomly to users of the site during early May, will provide valuable information on how well the site is currently meeting customers’ needs, and what features or tools they would like to see added to enhance their online experience with the Libraries. We’ll also be looking to set up focus groups with both students and faculty, current users and non-users, to hear about their needs for Libraries’ web services.
April 30th, 2008
Initial discussions have been held by this team, who has been charged with having a new Libraries’ web site ready to launch in July 2009 to coincide with the re-opening of the Thompson Library. The group will be relying on the Visioning Committee to provide input into the organizing architecture for the new site. A number of possible architectures are being considered.
The integration of the CMS is extremely critical to the success of a new web site, as it will provide the Libraries’ group of more than 100 content providers with a user-friendly means of updating pages. This capability is essential if the site is to be viewed as relevant and is populated with current information. Selection and implementation of the CMS will be concurrent with initial web site page designs.
March 28th, 2008
