Websites age in dog years. One of the primary reasons is the relentless march of technological progress–new cell phones, browser updates, operating system changes and shifts in the design of consumer electronics. As site owners, we need to update and adapt to keep pace.
Lipstick on a Pig
One very popular request is to refresh or redesign an existing site; the emphasis is on the visual layer, much like repainting your kitchen with a trendier color. However, a simple redesign misses a golden opportunity to address the single most valuable part of your site: the content.
Content consumption changes over time. Curating our content helps users find answers to all of the questions that they are currently asking. Reevaluating content, navigation, user traffic and trends avoids putting lipstick on the proverbial pig.
Timing is (Mostly) Everything
Our campus is abuzz with activity right now. We have construction and remodeling activity dotted around campus. Strategic planning is well under way. Now is the perfect time to refine the web network to support all of the exciting changes that are taking place on campus.
This new architecture will better position us to maintain branding consistency, content quality and accessibility. While we will stagger individual site launches based on project requirements, we are pushing hard to complete the heavy lift by May 2020.
Not Rocket Surgery
As we mentioned, web content shouldn’t (generally speaking) remain static. However, some of our sites and site sections are cumbersome to edit. The more difficult a process is to complete, the less often the process is performed.
Our site visitors are looking for your subject matter expertise. We want to leverage our technical expertise so that you can leverage your content expertise. We are working to:
- Reduce the friction and complexity of the content editing process
- Display editing tools specific to the type of information being edited
- Make workflows as short and simple as possible
We are excited to dive into this new toolkit and share what we learn with the campus community. Check back for updates on our progress.