Web Redesign Effort Western Michigan University

The Problem  The size  over 60,000 pages  The content  out-of-date, 60% never visited, incorrect, and lacks a consistent look and message  The cost  “It doesn’t cost anything to publish content to the Web”

The Problem (cont.)  The management structure  no consistent process for determining who can publish and what gets published  Conclusion  we have created an organic Web structure that does not promote a single brand identity to prospective students and other key constituencies  We have the Web we have now because we don’t have the resources to do more and the way we manage what we have

The Need  Priorities  recruitment  retention  Two vehicles to aid this process  branding initiative  redevelopment of our public Web site

The Solution  The Web redevelopment process  a comprehensive effort to update the production, management, and identity of our public Web site.  As part of the effort, University Relations has contracted with mStoner  Nationally recognized experts in university Web design and communication  Our goal is to become a branded house not a house of brands

The Solution (cont.)  The key purpose of all publications should be to generate traffic to the WMU Website  Students’ conclusions about an institution are based on the sophistication of the Web presence  An up-to-date, frequently changing Web presence communicates that the university is friendly, responsive, and well-managed

The Organization  Sponsor  Greg Rosine, VP Legislative Affairs  Chaired by Thom Myers from University Relations and Keith Hearit from the Lee Honors College.  Committee Leadership  Web Policy Group: Senior WMU executives  Web Management Committee: Technology experts coupled with experts in marketing and communication  Key Working Groups: CMS & Technology, Information Architecture, Content

Outcomes  Student-focused  students seek information about majors, not necessarily departments  Transactional in nature—not an organizational chart  students expect to conduct most transactions on the Web  A common look (i.e., colors and design), common structure (i.e., templates) and common navigation

Personnel Issues  This effort will seek to streamline Web management across campus  Web managers range from titles of associate deans to secretaries  Job descriptions will be rewritten to include Web development  WMU needs to invest personnel resources in this effort in order for it to be successful

Technology Issues: The Nature of a Content Management System (CMS)  A CMS allows an organization to develop a common look across an entire Web presence  It is based on the concept of common templates  A good CMS allows end users, with basic Microsoft Office skills, to publish to the Web  A CMS allows for syndication, link updates, pages to expire, common source for news, create RSS feeds  A consequence of a CMS is control  People can only publish to the Web based on their role—and an approval process is built into the software

Where are we now?  Utilized temporary template for  Focused primarily on prospective student- oriented sites first  Updated over 57 different sites  CMS Working Group: reviewed 3 CMS  Internal Architecture: developing the “map” of the WMU site  Develop a model of site and allows us to begin writing  mStoner will develop templates  will be student and prospective student tested