The Website Redesign Process
In the upcoming months, work will be done to convert our current content management system over to a system called LiveSite. LiveSite will allow for much easier creation and maintenance of web pages, and with its implementation will come a new look for the entire university website.
You’ve probably seen the screen shot of what the new UM-Flint home page will look like. We hope to have the new home page up and running sometime in the fall. The rest of the university’s website will have a similar look. However, not all departments will make the transition with the roll-out of the new home page.
The transition to the new design will begin with the home page and main audience pages. These will include direct links off of the university home page (current students, future students, etc.). The next priority will be areas related to recruitment.
The process for a department’s transition goes something like this:
- Members of the department meet with University Relations to discuss goals for the website.
- The department takes part in a card-sorting activity, which is a way to sort the content of a website visually and determine navigation/structure.
- University Relations develops wireframe representations of the department’s pages for review and approval.
- From the wireframes, new page templates are designed.
- The templates are loaded into LiveSite and the department’s content is migrated over.
Our goal is that departments transitioning to the new design (after the initial roll-out of the home page and audience pages) will be switched over late this year or early 2011. To date, University Relations has begun the redesign process with departments including Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Programs, University Outreach, the College of Arts and Sciences, Development and Alumni Relations, and many others.
For more information about the website redesign process, please contact University Relations at (810) 237-6570 or email Alaina Wiens.
Alaina Wiens
New Media Communications Specialist
