Tridion is getting a face lift. A new template is coming and we are asking you, the Tridion editors, to take a good, hard look at your websites before we flip the switch on the new design.<\/p>\n
The majority of our web visitors access the site using a mobile device, most frequently an iPhone. For this reason, we need to refine our site navigation and content. Content needs to be broken into bite-sized chunks to make it easier to read and navigate on a small screen.<\/p>\n
KISS<\/strong><\/p>\n Many of you have heard of the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). We are suggesting a similar, nicer alternative\u00a0–\u00a0Keep It Short and Simple.\u00a0People scan websites (like you probably are right now) until they find the keyword they are looking for. Most paragraphs should be no longer than 250 words. Pages, especially long pages, should be broken up with subheading and bullets.<\/p>\n Web usability guru Jared Spool talks about the \u201cscent of information,\u201d meaning that a user on a website is going to look for words or other cues that indicate they are on the right track to finding the information they are looking for. One example is that the word \u201cmajor\u201d has high scent for a prospective 17-year-old and the word \u201cbaccalaureate\u201d does not.<\/p>\n So use a few words and the ones visitors care about.<\/p>\n Give Them a Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n They’ve arrived at your pages! Now what? People come to a website to complete a task. Think about what types of tasks folks coming to your site are trying to complete: register, choose between programs, pay a bill, etc. Give them a solution.<\/p>\n Data Driven<\/strong><\/p>\n Web metrics or analytics is a complex field, but sometimes just looking at some basic information can help determine what information is getting the most eyeballs. If the most important information isn\u2019t getting “hits,” then we can help figure out why and fix it. If you would like a web traffic report for your website, email webcontent@uml.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n Change is Good<\/strong><\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve taken a critical look at your website, it\u2019s time to do the hard work – actually making changes. The Web Services team\u00a0is here to help.<\/p>\n Deleting Files<\/strong><\/p>\n If there are components\u00a0that you want to delete – please put an \u201cX\u201d in front of the component name and send it through workflow. We will make sure that no other pages are using that component and then will safely delete it.<\/p>\n Creating New Pages<\/strong><\/p>\n If you find that you do need to create new components and pages to split up long blocks of text, then simply follow the same process you normally would to create either<\/a>.<\/p>\n Navigation Changes<\/strong><\/p>\n Once pages are created, then we can help reorganize your navigation. Just email webcontent@uml.edu<\/a> with the navigation in a Word document or pasted into the email. Keep in mind that we recommend no more than 12 items on the left navigation and ideally 6-8.<\/p>\n All the changes you make now will be retained when we transition your site to the new design. None of your hard work will be lost. And getting some of this review out of the way will make your transition to the new design go more quickly.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Web Services<\/a>\u00a0site has detailed information about editing your site. We can help you navigate your changes as we transition to the new design. Please don’t hesitate to contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tridion is getting a face lift. A new template is coming and we are asking you, the Tridion editors, to take a good, hard look at your websites before we flip the switch on the new design. The majority of … Continue reading