| Western Carolina University's Web site redesign project took another big step forward in August when the main pages of the new site were tested for usability by a group of high school juniors at the Chicago offices of WCU's consultant, mStoner. The students gave the site a big “thumbs up” saying the new site's navigation, layout, and nomenclature were clear, intuitive, and easy to use.
The purpose of the usability testing was to see if students who knew nothing about WCU found the new site inviting, informative, and easy to navigate. The pages the test group examined were developed from the overall design approved by WCU's Executive Committee in July and subsequently presented to the campus in a sneak preview.
During the testing sessions, the students were asked questions about what they expected to see on the various pages, what the photos indicated, and how they would perform important tasks, such as applying online. The testing process recorded each student's comments, their eye movements, and where they clicked or moved their mouse while seeking information.
The next phase of the project involves mStoner converting the working designs to HTML and applying minor revisions that came from the usability testing. This process is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 22 at which point mStoner will begin configuring WCU's RedDot Content Management System (CMS) software.
During October, the Office of Web Services and mStoner will be moving WCU's approved content into the CMS system. The first-phase rollout of WCU's new Web site is on schedule for late October.
For further information on WCU's Web redesign and content management system implementation project, contact Newt Smith, director of Web Services, at 227-2411 or smithn@email.wcu.edu . |
