Friday, March 20, 2009
Welcome to the Redesign Blog-Post 1
Welcome to the “unca.edu” redesign blog, intended to provide ongoing updates on the project to restructure and redesign the UNC Asheville Web presence.
Latest updates:
Web design firm: Two nationally known Web design firms presented their approaches to the proposed project on Wednesday, March 11, as a part of a competitive selection process. The chosen firm will begin working with the Web Advisory team and the staff in Communications and IT as soon as possible.
An announcement about the firm and its background and approach will be made in the next several weeks.
“Interim” Web designs: Staff from Communications and IT have been working on some improvements in design and functionality for the university’s current home page. These changes are a prelude to the full-scale redesign that will be undertaken during the next nine months. You’ll be able to see the new look soon. Check back on this page for the latest on that project.
We want to hear from you: If you have ideas or comments about the Web redesign project as it progresses, this blog is the place to post them.
12 comments:
Has the firm been decided on yet? If so, have they accepted the offer?
Yes, the firm has been chosen! And it's a well-known and experienced web-design, interactive and communications firm. As soon as we have a contract, we'll be giving everyone an update. Check the unca.edu/redesign site for more info SOON.
Hi. I have noticed that a Raleigh based firm has secured the contract. Was an effort made to "buy local" and support a local Asheville business? This is something I would have supported, but no student input has been solicited until now.
Thanks for your comment. The university posted a "Request for Proposals" on the State of North Carolina's Interactive Purchasing System, on which vendors review available purchasing and contract opportunities. Seventeen proposals were received from agencies from across the country. There were no proposals submitted from Asheville-area agencies as a part of this competitive bid process.
My biggest issue with the website is that it is very difficult to find what you need unless you already know how to get there. This is especially important for freshmen and new comers who want to investigate the university through the website. I love the pictures that rotate but everything else is so out of date, accessibility should be the main goal for the redesign.
I have only a few things to say about the design process.
1)You paid money for a redesign when you have a MMAS and Computer Science department with numerous skilled web designers and developers. The professors in such a department are supposedly experts in their respective fields and should be able to handle one website redesign process. I mean its not rocket science and you could have paid a local consulting web firm to guide the process if you really wanted to waste taxpayer money. (Note: I am an alum and not connected to these depts)
2)Use Apache and *Nix as your enviornment. You will save sooooo much money from not paying stupid MS licenseing fees. This IIS stuff for the university has gone on long enough.
3)Since you obviously can't go ahead with my first point. Please at least get numerous MMAS and CS students involved in the process through internships and work studies. The expirience of working with a "Real" web design firm will benefit them immensely in this economy.
Thanks for the comments. Three students from MMAS, one from Mass Communications, and the Student Body President are a part of our Advisory Team, along with two faculty members from MMAS who have pledged to involve many of their students in the effort. We look forward to optimal use of internal resources.
Hello. I am a current csci student at unca. Why aren't there any csci students on the advisory board? I am glad to see several mmas students included, but I can assure you that the input of current csci students would be benefitial as well. Do you have any plans to address this discrepancy?
The new homepage is a big improvement. Nice work! The main suggestion I have on it is that not all elements are well integrated. For example, why have some uppercase and some lowercase headings? And the elements to the right (apply now, commencement) have different fonts and designs, making it look a little too much like stickers that children put up there. I think the page should, in addition to being hip, reflect the dignity of a university.
Glad to see the work progressing - this is a much-needed project. My first impression is that the new design, while definitely cleaner and easier to navigate, looks quite generic and almost childish. In addition to functionality, I hope the final design will have a more interesting and individual style.
I agree with the earlier comment. The university put all major student-related offices in a one-stop location; the web should do the same. Have one place where students can find links to the major forms they need. Right now, I have trouble finding forms, as some are in advising, some in the registrar's page, some in ILS -- and vitally none of them are easy to find within those pages.
I am worried that the format of having six rotating stories makes us look minor league. I think it would be better to rotate nice photos and find another way to highlight our work, as seen in those stories. After one goes back to the page repeatedly, one starts to think: Is this all we/they do -- clowning, murals? And some of the stories aren't necessarily ones that deserve to be front and center, especially for an extended period of time. I think it is harder for us as a small school to come up with as many things to say as schools with more faculty and students. The webpage should recognize that.
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