The Problem

Every site in the environment has two URL’s, one for production and one for development. Right now the development URL’s are publicly accessible.This is great for testing sites off campus but the downside is it’s too easy to pass on development URL’s and the public doesn’t realize the content may be out of date, broken or just missing.

What is worse is as soon as search engines get a hold of the URL’s they start including them in their index. This is a major issue since they show up in the public Google and Yahoo search results.

The Solution

We will be cutting off access to the development server “www-dev” URL’s from off campus computers in the next few weeks. Access from on-campus computers will not be effected.

This means if you are off campus and you need to view a site in development (www-dev) you will first need to VPN in to the Wayne State network. Instructions on how to use VPN are available on the C&IT Web site.

If you have a site that needs public access to the development server please let us know and we can determine if an exception is necessary.

Update: This change will go into effect Friday November 20th, 2009 at Midnight.

Although the commercials don’t have a direct connection to the web they are still posted to YouTube so I thought I would share.

Class Pride

View all the Aim Higher videos on YouTube.

The English Language Institute (ELI) is just a small part of the Office of International Programs. We are in the process of realigning and redesigning all sites within the office and ELI was the most ambitious to launch.

Some of the goals for the new ELI site

• Unifying the navigation
• Bringing the site into the central identity
• Show more student
• Student testimonials
• Upcoming events

Branding, Navigation and Content

Looking at the old site there is a horizontal and vertical navigation, 100% width, not much content on the homepage and really didn’t live up to the identity standards of the university. We set out to change all that, the homepage now includes a description, images of students and ways to connect with students.

After talking with students in the program the things that sold them were student testimonials and knowing there are events to connect to other international students. So we made sure they were prominent on the site.

We also centralized the navigation making it easy to scan and pulls the eye to the left. The content pages have all been rewritten to have a student focus to make it more inviting. Overall we have received positive feedback about the redesign.

View the new ELI site at: http://eli.wayne.edu/

The University Pharmacy is a tenant of The Towers Residential Suites. They are a full pharmacy and open to the public. They came to us because their web presence was lacking, it was hard to find what they offered, promotions and basic information.

We took the needs of the pharmacy and its users and designed the site from the ground up. Every piece has the end user in mind and migrating it into our content management system allowed the pharmacy staff to update content and promotions in a timely manner.

The old site was primarily blue and oddly enough had a “EPIC” logo in the top left corner of the site. It is interesting because you would think at first glance this was for EPIC Pharmacy, it was very deceiving.

The other thing about the old homepage was the large amount of text. At first glance it did not engage the user so they were forced to look to the left hand menu to get information. Promotions and other “sticky” information were buried on child pages just waiting to be stumbled upon. For example, the pharmacy will deliver prescriptions anywhere on campus when they are ready. Something students, faculty and staff would find as a great convenience.

We changed all that with the new site having the University Pharmacy logo in the top left, using orange to make an impact and reducing the amount of text on the homepage to make way for promotions and things to catch the user’s eye.

Overall the new site and structure allows for a user experience that matches the convenience and capabilities that the University Pharmacy has to offer.

View the new University Pharmacy site at: http://universityrx.wayne.edu/

Rob worked as a programming in the web communications department a year and a half ago and contributed to the core set of services we use on a daily basis. The content management system, events calendar and PHPSimpl framework just to name a few.

We choose Rob because he has a crazy attention to detail and can think on real implementation terms. Finding solutions that not only fix issues but are also flexible for future changes. He started yesterday as a full time web developer and his first project will be the launch of the overhauled events calendar.

I am sure you will hear from Rob soon. I just gave him access to this blog and like all other web communications staff is  free to post at any time.

Wanting to improve accessibility and promote transparent communication with the student body, the student council sought us out to create a site that would be easy to navigate, clean, and at the same time fun.

The homepage features a promotional section highlighting activities being promoted by the council, the Top Topics section showing new information of importance to students and topics being discussed by the council, and displaying the meeting time and location to encourage involvement.

Checkout the live Student Council Web site at: http://studentcouncil.wayne.edu

Along side the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs Web site we also launched the newest giving campaign, Aim Higher for Students. The idea is simple, show how much a gift can help a student’s life. Even the smallest gift can make a big difference. Students who might have otherwise had to drop out or go part time or even not start at all are the primary focus.

The goal of this site is to show how giving a little can mean a great deal. The lives you impact will return the favor ten fold in the end. This campaign for students goes beyond the brick and mortar, it shows the true generational impact of gifts to the university.

The centerpiece of the site is a video produced with real students who have received scholarships. In addition impacting quotes and images reinforce how their lives have been changed.

Although there isn’t a lot of pages to the site the goal is simple, push a prospective donor over the edge and get them to donate even just a little, it will not only make them feel good inside but also impact the lives of students they have never met.

The colors and design are simple for a reason, nothing fancy is required to get a simple message across. Real students need your help and it does not take that much effort to extend your hand.

Check out the site and video at http://aimhigherforstudents.wayne.edu/

One advantage of working at Wayne State University is the Wellness Warriors program. Its goal is the make healthier and happier employees by using the people and facilities we have to get them on a healthy lifestyle.

The program is a partnership between the Recreation and Fitness Center and Human Resources. Previously information about Wellness Warriors could be found split between RFC and HR depending on who controlled what content. This was not user friendly at all so we completely re-evaluated the users needs and came up with a new navigation and information architecture that not only explained the program but showed real employees and their results.

The new site is consistent from a look standpoint with all the printed and email materials that has been presented to employees. It also shows off upcoming events and friendly faces, something the old site did not do very well. In addition to the design and navigation the content was shortened up and simplified for easy scanning.

Checkout the live Wellness Warriors Web site at: http://wellness.wayne.edu/

We just launched the 2008 President’s Report Web site. This is the first time we have gone all digital with the report, no trees were harmed in the production of the site.

Some key features of the site include

• A video introduction for President Noren
• Rotating featured stories on the homepage
• Clear design the highlights our campus and students

Transitioning the report to a web site makes it more accessible and transparent. In the past it was created as a book and sent to alumni, donors and friends of the university. So if you wanted to see it you had to come to campus or request one. Now the whole report is live and searchable, a much better and cost effective approach.

This is just the first of may sites we have lined up to launch in July. Stay tuned for more announcements in the next few days.

Check out the site for yourself at: http://president.wayne.edu/report/

Demo night is a great opportunity to:

• share your work
• find out what others have been working on
• hear how something was built
• find out why it was built
• learn about new tools that can improve your work

Each person has five to ten minutes to demo and answer questions. Demo nights are a great way to get to know other Refresh Detroit members.

Where: Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Michigan. We will be meeting in Room 101 at the Morris Lawrence Building (map). Plenty of free parking is available adjacent to the building.

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Cost: Free! Open to the public.

Interested in demoing your work? Confirm by commenting below with your name and application/design/tool/product, so we have an idea of how many people will be presenting.

For those who don’t want to demo this time (hopefully you will at the next demo night!), RSVP at Upcoming.org