The SMU website redesign
is nearing the finish line.
Here's an update on the university website redesign project.
We are in the final phase of the redesign of our external website. Our web partner, Atomic Playpen, has provided us with sample page designs (shown and explained below). AP is finishing the website framework, and the SMU team has been gathering photos and basic content for the pages. As of Nov. 4, the core web people at both the Winona and Twin Cities campuses have been trained in the new web content managing system.
The web team is now in the process of creating pages and loading them with content. In the next month, AP and Saint Mary's will do extensive testing of the website's navigation and performance. Everyone will have the opportunity to review their pages before the site goes live.
Once the site is live (up and running correctly), we will quickly train additional area content managers in the new system. These people will be able to post photos and text to their pages. Not all areas or departments will have staff to manage their own content. The web and communications staff at both campuses will maintain page content for those areas.
We are working hard to meet our launch goal of December 1. Please contact any of the web redesign team if you have questions or comments at this stage of the project. In Winona: Bob Conover, Monta May, Adrianne Olson; in the Twin Cities: Dave Garrison, Julia Jenson.
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SAMPLE WEB PAGE DESIGNS
Below are samples of the web page designs. There are templates for different kinds of pages; not all of them are shown here. The design concepts will be applied consistently across the site for all locations and programs, with feature sets helpful to each user type. Pages will be customized with appropriate information, graphics and photos. (The samples shown below are not necessarily what will be contained in the final site design, e.g., we are arranging to shoot some photos specifically for the website.)
Keep in mind that this new site has an external focus geared toward potential students, donors, alumni, the public etc. We've moved away from the laundry-list structure of the current site. Most of the information for current students, faculty and staff is in the process of being moved to separate internal sites or BlackBoard. All of it will be accessible by using the links for Current Students & Faculty/Staff, Quicklinks, or MySMU. Again, if you have any questions on how the new site "works," please contact one of the web team members.
You can click on each sample to see a full-size image, and use your browser's back button to return to this update.
SAMPLE 1.
Shown below is the "splash page" that a user will see when they come to www.smumn.edu. Potential students and other users will self-select an identity, which will take them quickly to targeted information. The 4 photos represent potential students. There are 5 additional user identities on the page, as well as links to other key areas. The search feature on this and all other pages will be more efficient than the current model.
SAMPLE 2.
When the splash page is "moused-over," the student photos expand and move.
SAMPLE 3.
When a user selects an identity from the splash page, they will go to a targeted "homepage." Shown is the Winona undergraduate Freshmen & Transfer Students homepage. These homepages market directly to the users, and present focused sets of information and links. There are multiple paths for users to select different identities. (We plan to test an option that would allow users to make these pages their SMUMN.edu homepage, thus avoiding the splash page the next time they return.)
SAMPLE 4.
This is another example of a user homepage, in this case it's for SGPP Bachelor Completion students.
SAMPLE 5.
And this is the homepage for Alumni. As in many of the homepages, the main photos will rotate through a slideshow.
SAMPLE 6.
This is what Winona undergraduate freshmen and transfers will see if they click on "Areas of Study" from their homepage. For the SGPP, this page will have different photos and features, and list programs instead of majors. Note that this kind of page can feature video or additional photos.
SAMPLE 7.
Here is a mockup of a specific SGPP program page, in this case, Human Development.
SAMPLE 8.
This is an example of an office page that features staff listings. This is a mockup of the Winona undergraduate Admission Office staff page.
