INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE. Improving Web Usability with a Content Management System Presented by: Rick Lindquist, Fred Miller, and Curtis Kelch Illinois Wesleyan University April 15, 2008 Course ID S-0989

2 Session Rules of Etiquette Please turn off your cell phone/pager If you must leave the session early, please do so as discreetly as possible Please avoid side conversation during the session Thank you for your cooperation!

The Problem How to best use a web content management system In an environment with distributed site responsibility While ensuring the usability of the site 3 Course ID S-0989

Content Management at Illinois Wesleyan Illinois Wesleyan University 2100 students, 700 faculty & staff 60+ department & office web sites CMS went live Fall 2005 Sungard HE Luminis CMS > 90% of offices use CMS Departments have responsibility for their sites Only one new position created 4 Course ID S-0989

What’s In It For You? Our tactics Lessons learned Review of low cost usability techniques Demonstration of low cost usability techniques More low cost web usability tools 5 Course ID S-0989

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE. 6 Tactics and Lessons Learned Fred Miller, Associate VP for Information Technology Illinois Wesleyan University

Tactics: Distributed Responsibility Public Relations Template and graphic design Main navigation and template approval Content for University pages IT Staff Maintain CMS systems, build templates Train department CMS users Assist with usability testing, department navigation Department CMS users Work with IT to develop pages & site navigation Create & update content 7 Course ID S-0989

Lessons Learned (part 1 of 3) Administration support Budget Buy-in & ownership Content, usability, and infrastructure Avoid being overly ambitious Offer some site differentiation 8 Course ID S-0989

Site Differentiation 9 Course ID S-0989 Header ID Site-specific banners Custom navigation

Lessons Learned (Part 2 of 3) Pick a primary audience Who are you building the site for? Rewards that work Usability testing Content managers Look for opportunities to test usability Department site redesign Change requests 10 Course ID S-0989

Opportunity for Usability Testing IT controls navigation & template changes Encourage usability testing with changes Political forces come into play 11 Course ID S-0989 Site-Wide Navigation “Bread Crumb” Trail Department Navigation

Lessons Learned (part 3 of 3) The importance of training and support No access without training Prepare a “maintenance plan” Some departments use students A few positions adjusted to reflect new roles Regularly scheduled LCMS lab hours Sustaining Interest The template refresh Ongoing usability testing Keep positive momentum 12 Course ID S-0989

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE. 13 Low Cost Usability In Action Rick Lindquist, Technology Trainer Illinois Wesleyan University

Low Cost Usability Techniques A few fast, informal tests fix big problems Observation methods Card sorting Prototyping The external expert review (reality check) 14 Course ID S-0989

Observation Methods Select target audience for testing 5 quick tests can find most site problems Even one test is better than none Prepare a few simple tasks to perform Tell user we’re testing the site, not them “The user is always right” Ask to talk out loud Observe only, don’t lead to answers 15 Course ID S-0989

Before and After 16 Course ID S minute tests 2-minute fix No cost Deleted old info Combined hours Clear benefits

The Application Button 17 Course ID S-0989

Card Sorting Helpful when designing CMS site architecture One index card for each page in the site Users sort the cards into 6-8 similar piles Ask to “think out loud” Name the categories Analyze the results Common themes? What are top levels? 18 Course ID S-0989 Image from

Prototypes Paper Prototypes Sketch out a solution on paper No preconceived notions No web skills needed Using the CMS to create a test site CMS changes are fast Iterative process No need to publish 19 Course ID S-0989

Usability with a CMS CMS means fast changes Test as WIP or Staging – before publication Dynamic features Template or style changes Linked pages: share the same content 20 Course ID S-0989

Usability with a CMS Dynamic features Components: change many pages at once 21 Course ID S-0989

The External Expert Review Academic usability expert Dr. Michael Twidale from University of Illinois Two on site visits and demonstrations Very low cost Commercial Lawlor Group’s “Identity” study Not so low cost 22 Course ID S-0989

If it is that easy… Low Cost Usability testing in action The Challenge “What can we learn from a single, short user test with little advance preparation and rapid analysis of results?” Looking for a parent of a prospective college student… Select 5 tasks a parent would perform Let’s do it… 23 Course ID S-0989

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE. 24 Usability tools for webmasters Curtis Kelch, Webmaster Illinois Wesleyan University

Low Cost (no cost!) Usability Tools Visual Heatmap Confetti ClickTale 25 Course ID S-0989

Home Page Design 26 Course ID S-0989

Visual Heatmap 27 Course ID S-0989

Dr. Jakob Nielsen – user interface & usability expert 28 Course ID S-0989 F

Confetti 29 Course ID S-0989

Confetti 30 Course ID S-0989

Why are users clicking here? 31 Course ID S-0989

CrazyEgg.com 32 Course ID S-0989

Just add this code to your templates 33 Course ID S-0989

ClickTale 34 Course ID S-0989

Choose a movie and learn about your site 35 Course ID S-0989

Just add this code to your templates 36 Course ID S-0989

Additional Resources Jakob Nielson’s UseIt.com & Alertbox SURL at Wichita State Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think” Crazy Egg Clicktale Usability.gov 37 Course ID S-0989

38 Course ID S-0989 Thank You! Rick Lindquist – Fred Miller – Curtis Kelch – Please complete the online class evaluation form Course ID S-0989 SunGard, the SunGard logo, Banner, Campus Pipeline, Luminis, PowerCAMPUS, Matrix, and Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Third-party names and marks referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. © 2008 SunGard. All rights reserved.