The strategy includes four main tactics, providing the foundation of how we’re going to improve.
- A multi-modal strategy of looking at our content from the user’s perspective, including content best practices, optimization, sharing content, and presentation.
- To make our content better, we need a WordPress theme that allows more robust content layouts, while also including standards in a design system to provide a consistent presentation of our content that follow brand standards.
- The web services provided in supporting a university-wide supported web content management system (WordPress) which will include the help with the technical side of owning a website: maintenance, security, performance.
- Collaborating with website owners and content creators across the university to make it happen.
This is more than just an Information Technology Services project. This is a cross-functional team collaboration, including divisions, departments schools, colleges, and units.
We need to see ourselves as part of a whole university with purpose: higher education, and that includes telling the stories of our diverse voices. That means less focusing on the tools that deliver our web presence, more on communicating our great stories.
Our shared goals
The Web Improvement Program is expected to deliver outcomes that can be directly mapped back to the shared goals provided by Chancellor Cynthia Larive.
Advancing student success
- Students spend less time navigating complex web systems and more time focusing on their education.
- Improved search and self-service in finding answers to questions on their schedule.
- Shift to what content students need from us, rather than everything we provide
Increase our research profile and impact
- We are perceived as the world class R1 university that we are, through an improved opinion of the digital university.
- Consistent and modern feel across university digital experience.
- Shift in focus on the tools we use, to the great stories we have to tell.
Foster an inclusive campus climate that embraces and values diversity and equity
- Guidance on inclusive design and accessible digital experiences.
- Improved search functionality focusing on findability, accessibility, and usability regardless how you find the content.
Improve efficiency, effectiveness and resilience
- Less time, effort and money spent completing support tasks through findable and usable self-service content.
- Increased engagement with web content, therefore better alignment of university wide goals of enrollment, retention and career satisfaction.