Since 2007, Augusta State University’s Web layout has remained unchanged, until now.
Heather Hopkins, Web developer in the Public Relations Office, has been constructing a new look for the Website over the past few months.
The redesign comes not long after MyASU officially replaced the old email portal, Pipeline, in November 2010. When this happened, many people opposed the change.
Because the redesign is of the entire aug.edu framework, Hopkins said that some people will be in opposition.
“Many people are used to the way the Website is,” Hopkins said. “Some people are worried about it being different.”
The purpose of the redesign is to make navigating through the Website an easier task.
“Our rule of thumb is that we want anything that someone’s looking for to be there within two clicks,” Hopkins said. “By having as much as possible in a centralized location, it is easier to find what you are looking for without a lot of extra effort.”
Hopkins added that most of the student and faculty feedback regarding the redesign has been positive.
Junior biology major, Nick Cain, said he is in favor of the quick navigation aspect of the new layout.
“I believe the new design is more up-to-date and innovative because it lends itself to navigate on its own,” Cain said.
According to Hopkins, the Web has vastly changed since 2007, and the technology has greatly changed as well.
Hopkins said the new look for the site will accommodate the newer ways people use the Web.
“More people view the University’s Website on cellphones and tablets,” Hopkins said.
Not only will the site accord to changing technology, but will aslo adhere to Section 508 standards set by the government, according to Hopkins.
According to section508.gov, the standards require federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
With these standards in place, accommodations to the Website are required for people that are either blind or deaf. For example, visionimpaired users may rely on text-tospeech software to interpret the text on the screen. Hearing-impaired users rely on captioned video content to interpret what is being said.
One noticeable change on the home page will be the placement of the links that most students access. Most links will be located in a slider on the main page. The MyASU link will be located on the top of the page.
The site will also be more graphically oriented. The new layout will include more images of the school and incorporate heavier graphic usage on the site.
Aside from the design aspect, graphics will highlight important links, Hopkins said.
For example, the Apply online link on the homepage will be a graphic.
“We are trying to emphasize applying online,” Hopkins said.
A few months following the implementation of the new design, a content management system will be added. The purpose of the content management system is to make it feasible for faculty and staff to make updates.
“It will be an absolutely fantastic content management system,” Hopkins said. “The new system will be easy to edit, like a word document. Professors will not need to know special coding.”
The new content management system will ensure consistency throughout the entire Website. Hopkins described the importance of having each page follow the same template.
“The point of the Website is to get your content to your users,” Hopkins said. “If every page is different, you have to retrain the user every single time they go to a different page.”
The current site will change over to the new design by the end of March.