The best website navigation systems appear so straightforward that you don't think twice about how to use them. Like using a door handle to open a door. But often behind this simplicity is a complex information architecture. Navigation menus reflect this structure and communicate to our visitors how content is organized and prioritized. Beyond helping web visitors … [Read more...] about Navigating Business School Websites
user experience
Defining Target Audiences: Who Are We Talking To, Really?
When I ask higher ed web teams who their primary audience is, inevitably the answer is "prospective students." Makes sense, right? Since higher ed websites are such an important marketing tool, most people will agree prospective student is an appropriate primary audience. Yet, when you navigate college websites, how well does content speak to this audience? And what … [Read more...] about Defining Target Audiences: Who Are We Talking To, Really?
Introducing Your Content: Page Titles and Headings
Last week, Georgy talked about the importance of headlines for introducing stories and enticing readers. But how do these lessons learned for headlines in news and featured content translate to other forms of content — such as admissions and academic webpages? Page titles and headings also play an important role for all content on our websites. Readers rely on page titles and … [Read more...] about Introducing Your Content: Page Titles and Headings
Planning for Content Beyond the Web
The following guest post was written by Dave Olsen, a programmer and project manager at West Virginia University. Dave will be speaking at Confab Higher Ed in Atlanta, GA this November. "Get your content ready to go anywhere," says web designer Brad Frost, "because it’s going to go everywhere." For many, responsive web design has become the solution for ensuring that their … [Read more...] about Planning for Content Beyond the Web
Portal Websites: The Great Content Divide
In the Star Trek universe, a "portal" is a doorway to another dimension, connecting two points in space-time. In higher ed, a portal is just as fantastic — an internal website intended to better target users, remove content clutter and improve content governance. Voila! Well, maybe. Portal websites aim to meet these goals by dividing content directed at external … [Read more...] about Portal Websites: The Great Content Divide