1. 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. 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!

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Before and After 16 Course ID S-0989 10-minute tests 2-minute fix No cost Deleted old info Combined hours Clear benefits

17. The Application Button 17 Course ID S-0989

18. 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 http://www.useit.com

19. 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

20. 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

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

22. 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

23. 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

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

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

26. Home Page Design 26 Course ID S-0989

27. Visual Heatmap 27 Course ID S-0989

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

29. Confetti 29 Course ID S-0989

30. Confetti 30 Course ID S-0989

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

32. CrazyEgg.com 32 Course ID S-0989

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

34. ClickTale 34 Course ID S-0989

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

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

37. Additional Resources Jakob Nielson’s UseIt.com & Alertbox http://www.useit.com/ SURL at Wichita State http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think” http://www.sensible.com/index.html Crazy Egg http://www.crazyegg.com Clicktale http://www.clicktale.com/ Usability.gov http://www.usability.gov/ 37 Course ID S-0989

38. 38 Course ID S-0989 Thank You! Rick Lindquist – rlindqui@iwu.edu Fred Miller – fmiller@iwu.edu Curtis Kelch – ckelch@iwu.edu 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.