[This document gives some background for the IS&T web site redesign effort - Steve Turner, March 28, 2007)
IS&T Web Site Redesign Project Charter
December 5, 2006
Timeline Target Due Date
RFP sent to vendors November 29
Confirm project team membership December 8
Decide on Vendor December 15
Finalize information architecture January 15
Design Proposals from Vendor February 1
Review designs with team Early February
Present proposed designs Mid February
Deliver templates to Alfresco March 1
Launch new site June 30
Scope/Goals
Scope:
The scope of the IS&T Web site redesign project is to design a new look and feel for the IS&T web site; including new navigation and features, site-wide header and footer, and an IS&T style guide. This is phase 1 of a broader effort of a department-wide brand identity redesign which will include delivery of a wider range of communications materials (print and electronic).
Goals:
• Refine the current IS&T website look & feel, addressing overall visual hierarchy, image selection, use of color, type treatments, etc., such that the new website reflects the new brand guidelines.
• Improve navigability and visitor access to the information. Anecdotal evidence and usability testing confirm the need to revise navigation as users had difficulty finding important information.
• Improve ability to display reasonably well on various PDAs/wireless devices.
• Revise layout of the home page to make better use of page "real estate" for features.
• Better align navigation with improved statistical data showing current page view trends.
• Make page templates easier for IS&T staff to use.
• Improve the printability of the pages.
• Produce page designs ready for implementation with new content management system (Alfresco).
• Bring the website look & feel into alignment with other IS&T communications materials.
Current Environment
The current IS&T web site consists of approximately 5000 pages (including both static and dynamic pages). The site has lots of useful information related to information technology at MIT, but surveys and usability testing indicate that users find the pages too dense and the site too hard to navigate.
IS&T is in the process of implementing an Enterprise-wide Content Management System - Alfresco. The IS&T web site will be migrated to Alfresco by the end of Fiscal Year 2007.
The IS&T Publishing Team is responsible for maintaining the IS&T locker. This includes creating, formatting, updating and archiving pages on an as-needed basis for the IS&T community. There exist a number of IS&T web sites that reside outside of the IS&T locker; these sites, many of which require servers and dynamically generated data, are maintained by other IS&T staff.
Business Strategy Fit
This work aligns with IS&T's Strategic Themes, key messages and logo guidelines.
Benefits of a redesigned site include:
• Serve as the first place customers come for IT information (e.g., self help, contacts for help, news, etc.)
• Make IT information simpler to access and navigate
• Increase customer productivity
• Provide a resource for getting, installing, and using software
• Inform the public about IS&T; who we are (organization), what we do (projects and services), mission statement
• Make the site easy to update, manage, and maintain
• Provide an IS&T "brand"
Success for the new site will be measured through usability tests, online feedback, and examination of the web site's access statistics.
Benefits and Impacts
Based upon prior usability testing and customer satisfaction survey results, we hope to improve the site and provide the following in response to our customers' requests:
• Improved navigation to enable clients to locate service and support information easier
• Improved links from the MIT Home page
• Improve and streamline maintenance of IS&T web site, making sure to continue with our attention to consistency and clarity on the pages
• Begin the clean-up and simplification of the current IS&T web site
• This project has a direct impact on the migration Alfresco, the Enterprise-wide Content Management system being implemented as one of IS&T's FY07 Big Initiatives.
Team Sponsors, Membership
• Project sponsor: Jerry Grochow
• Project co-leaders: Christine Fitzgerald and Carol Wood
• IS&T Web Redesign
Full Team: Core Team plus IS&T Communications Team
• Core team includes: Michael Dutton, Christine Fitzgerald,
Jeff Reed, Carol Wood & Cheryl Slowik (PSB).
• Advisors are Wilson D'Souza (CMS Project) and Don Montabana (IS&T Website).
• Advisory groups will include the IS&T Communications team, the IS&T Publishing team, VP staff, and the Alfresco (CMS) team.
Project leads will provide monthly updates to these advisory groups.