New Website Design Has Launched

By now you may have noticed the big changes made to the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) website.  At approximately 8 p.m. tonight, UMB’s site redesign went live. The new design, which features a cleaner and welcoming feel to the University’s presence on the Web, is the culmination of efforts by the Center for Information Technology Services and the Office of External Affairs’ Web Development staff.

The site was redesigned based on feedback received in the campus-wide Web survey that was held from October to December, 2009. The redesign team also conducted extensive research on Web trends and best practices for higher education websites. The result of this research is the design that is now in place.

The University colors—red, black, and gold—have been incorporated into a design that has more photography and is less “cluttered” than the previous design. The new design uses contemporary technical approaches for navigating and communicating news and events dynamically, and it takes advantage of social networking tools such as iTunes, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in order to improve communications to the campus community and beyond.

The UMB homepage is the world’s gateway to University. The redesign greatly enhances that gateway. And we want each school and department, and every story that makes the UMB campus unique represented on the homepage.

Survey Results Show Current Site Trends

When the redesign team conducted the latest UMB Web site survey (results of which are posted at the end of this entry), it was important to discover how the internal audience (that is, our current students, faculty and staff) use the site and for what purpose. Because the current UMB Web site is heavily focused on the needs of the internal audience, it is imperative that any redesign, while catering to the many external audiences (prospective students, alumni, visitors, media, etc.), also addresses the needs of those who make up the University.

Because UMB is such a unique campus, much of the redesign work has focused on extensive research, including comparisons to other higher education Web sites and studying the latest trends in development and design technologies.

Over the last few months, the redesign team has collected feedback from the UMB community, through an online survey conducted from October to December 2009. The University received more than 100 responses. Web visitors representing students, faculty, and staff provided feedback on the state of the current site and offered suggestions for desired new features.

While opinions varied as to what information should be on the home page, many people asked for an attractive Web site that is easy to navigate; respondents overwhelmingly agreed that the current UMB site lacks a cohesive navigational structure. One response described the site as “UMB station,” which functions as “a railroad with tracks in seven directions: six schools and admin.”

Additionally, many noted the importance of visual appeal, asking for better use of new media. “There should be a better use of interactive media, personal testimonials from students, and video clips,” explained one response.

Survey respondents offered insight about how the UMB Web site should play a role in the marketing of the University: “The information on the home page should attract visitors and draw them back to the Web site.” Others expressed the importance of defining the Web site’s goal and audience: “The University is about its people and there is little info about the good and interesting endeavors of the people at UMB.”

The redesign team recognizes many of the issues brought to light by the survey and will work to improve both the aesthetic value and the functionality of UMB’s Web site. The survey, in addition to extensive research on higher education Web sites, is an important part of ensuring that the new design accurately reflects the University, provides an easy-to-follow system of navigation and information, and also addresses the internal functions of the UMB community.

Survey Reminder

Happy December readers! Everyone here at the Office of External Affairs and the Center for Information Technology Services wanted to remind you about the Web redesign survey.

Please visit http://cf.umaryland.edu/umb_survey2009 to complete the survey. Your responses to this survey will help in creating an improved UMB home page and Web site.

The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, December 11, 2009. Thank you in advance for completing this survey and for your assistance and support of this project.

Have Your Say in the Survey

In order to properly analyze how the University of Maryland, Baltimore Web site is used, the Web development team has developed a survey. The results of this survey will be used to learn how the site is used, which group(s) are using the site the most, and where visitors are going.

To access the survey, please visit http://cf.umaryland.edu/umb_survey2009. The survey will be available until December 16, 2009. We encourage you to provide any comments in the appropriate section at the end of the survey.

Some Thoughts on Navigation

The fundamental core to any redesign of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Web site will inherently address the navigation and organization of the information of the site. Without a doubt, a site’s navigation is the single most important element in creating a useable Web site.

Our challenge, as this redesign project continues, will be to develop an intuitive navigation structure that addresses the needs of the site’s many audiences: both current and potential faculty, staff, and students; media outlets; community leaders; and many more groups of visitors.

While UMB’s current navigation clearly addresses the needs of our internal audience (current faculty, staff, and students), the redesign will also focus on the needs of our external audience as well. By incorporating a sound organizational structure, we will be putting in place building blocks for a logical and easy-to-use navigational system that will allow users to move through the site without getting lost in process.

Welcome!

Welcome to the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Web site redesign discussion blog. The Office of External Affairs’ Communications & Marketing department and Center for Information Technology Services have teamed up to upgrade the current University Web experience, and we need your input. We’d like for you to voice your opinions on the current site’s strengths, and areas that can be improved. We would also like to learn about features you’d like to see on the new site.

Our goal is to make this process as transparent as possible, so that we can incorporate your ideas and make the University’s Web site a welcoming and informative destination about the University community, faculty, staff and students. We will keep this blog up-to-date with our progress and ask for your suggestions throughout the process. Your comments will help guide our process. While we continue our extensive research, please feel free to post content and functionality suggestions, accessibility recommendations, and other Web sites for us to review. The more ideas and suggestions we have from the UMB community, the better we can make the site.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and support in creating a new and improved Web site.