Phase I of the University’s much-anticipated redesigned website launches on Monday, August 1, when some 60 of the University’s highest-traffic sites will debut a brand new look. The web redesign project includes both a new look for the website as well as a new content management system (CMS). The new CMS, Cascade Server, was installed last spring and will ultimately replace Sherpa for all content management on UP’s main website, up.edu. More than 100 superusers have been trained in the new system.
The redesign process included focus groups with representatives from all departments on campus, one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, and surveys of faculty, staff, students, prospective students, parents, alumni, and donors. The site was designed with a “mobile-first” strategy. Currently about half of the University’s web site traffic comes from mobile devices; numbers are even higher for sites that cater to prospective students.
Phase II of the web redesign includes a new look for the online campus directory and improved individual pages for faculty and staff to personalize with information about their professional experience, interests, and activities. The new directory will launch in October.
Phase III includes the transition of the remaining 40 sites to Cascade Server. They will roll over to the new site throughout the fall.
For more information, contact Amy Shelly, marketing, at shelly@up.edu or 8232 or Lisel Stancil, web and enterprise services, at stancil@up.edu or 7481.