posted
As I'm working on my college's new website, the redesign of our IT website has been put into the backburner by the <sarcasm>beloved committees</sarcasm> that govern our school. However, my boss is away, and I'm lacking things I can actually do on this website, thusly I'm back to finding stuff that I believe I should be doing.
Now the part where you come in. I've already got a complete restructure of the webpage done (and it follows the "three-clicks to anywhere rule" too). However, for actual content, while I know the basic things that people want, I want more feedback before I create this page, as well as the ability to tell the committee that I'll be going up against saying that "I've made an unofficial poll of everyday people to see what they want" to guarantee my design will pass their scrutiny. For general design I'll have to hint at the "Madison Avenue" look our new website has, and I'd like to sorta follow the usability of the MIT IS&T site.
Thus I ask you, what information do you think should be on the main page of a (sic *your*) IT department website? Any and all tips, comments, grips, and examples are welcome. Satyagraha
Posts: 359 | Registered: Jun 2001
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1) A regularly updated "announcements" section, with announcements that expire automatically and are moved to archives.
2) A link to any special equipment or software discounts offered to students
3) Maps and descriptions of computer labs, including lists of software and hardware available in each
4) Names and contact info of all IT staff
5) Any rules and regulations for equipment on campus, including links (like, for example, if you require that all students have virus software installed on their machines before connecting to your network)
6) FAQs, including: how to connect to E-mail; how to identify spam/viruses; common keyboard shortcuts; and the other questions most commonly asked of your support staff
7) A submission form for trouble tickets, either with a database backend (ideally) or an E-mail aimed at a common help desk distribution list
8) A list of upcoming projects, including known problems and estimated time/solution for resolution
9) A weekly newsletter with "helpful software tips," posted on the web and E-mailed to anyone who voluntarily subscribes. You can also use this newsletter to discuss common computer issues and define terminology, with the intent of demystifying the whole process.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Tom: I'm already including the things that you mentioned (I'm glad I'm going in the right direction!), you're in the IT department for your college, right? Any gripes about things that I should avoid doing?
posted
Well, if you work in a college anything like the college I work in, you should strenuously avoid making a page of useful links that is NOT the front page, or else people will link there instead of linking to your front page and therefore miss your announcements.
And if you work in a department anything like my department, you should make these changes without mentioning them to your boss because he will micromanage them until all life, creativity, and utility has been sucked out of them and they are left to flap, empty and useless, in the dry wind of cyberspace.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
:: laughs :: My boss...sigh...my boss (the webadmin) knows no html except what I've taught him: "<br />" and "<font color="#005790"></font>" How he got hired, I have no clue. But I will be keeping the development of this site a secret, otherwise an even greater adversary the dreaded "committee" will gut the site and take all life out of it. I'm not putting it in front of them until it is done and all that is left to do is redirect the old page to the new. And I shal take much care to keep all useful links on the main page. Satyagraha
Posts: 359 | Registered: Jun 2001
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