Homepage Design 1999

Steps to the Design | Final Product (March 30, 1999)

The most significant result of Homepage Design 1999 is improved access to the ever-expanding content and information resources available on the University of Georgia WebService. Spearheaded by the Georgia Web Group, the redesign was accomplished in a manner consistent with the institution's Seven C's of WebService Design. Careful consideration of the following factors resulted in the current design: Attention to Visitor Input. From e-mail received by our visitors, there has been a general interest in making University of Georgia news and sports more accessible. Statistical Analysis. The website and phonebook search items are consistently among the top URLs visited (see http://www.uga.edu/analyze). The group felt it appropriate to include these searches on the top-most level of the UGA WebService. Preservation of Core Information. The main topics "University Profile", "Student Life," etc., provide visitors with a wealth of selected links within each defined topic area. These topics should be preserved. Access to Instructional Resources. An area of the homepage should be set aside for easy access to instructional resources. This area should initially be anchored by WebCT, since it was selected by a campus-wide committee of UGA teaching faculty as the application to provide Web-based instructional resources, and designed to accommodate additional resources. Creation of a Dynamic "Featured Sites" Area. In an effort to give more UGA departments and units greater exposure from the UGA homepage, the Georgia Web Group has created an area for "Featured Sites." These sites will remain on the UGA homepage for varied times, depending on timeliness, appropriateness, and number of sites requesting inclusion in "Featured Sites." To request a listing in "Featured Sites," UGA departments should send e-mail to the Georgia Web Group at www@www.uga.edu. Accepted sites will be displayed as text links under the "Featured Sites" heading. Below is a generalized view of the homepage areas. The location of the areas on the actual homepage may be different from this generalized view. (1) The identifier provides a clear indication that this is the WWW presence for the University of Georgia. (2) Includes information from "UGA Today" and dynamic news content from University Communications (2a), a direct link to the University of Georgia Athletic Association (2b), and space for additional entertainment and news items as needed (2c). (3) Search items for websites and phonebook (3a) and a set of major topic areas which have developed over the years that UGA has had a WWW presence (3b). (4) Instructional resources (4a) and a dynamic, rotating area to accommodate requests by UGA departments and units for inclusion on the UGA homepage (4b). (5) Address information, supporting logo, e-mail and telephone contacts, etc. Please feel free to send comments, suggestions, or questions you have regarding the UGA WebService to the Georgia Web Group.