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Web Services
Guiding Principles
Target Audience
- Identify potential user groups and the types of information and services they will be looking for.
- Create a persona to exemplify each user group.
- Use regular polling and surveys to assess needs and expectations.
- Request feedback to evaluate effectiveness.
Marketing & Branding
- Exhibit the ANE brand on all websites and other media such as printed pieces, radio ads etc.
- Drive users to the web from other media sources and use web to disseminate other media in order to deliver marketing messages seamlessly.
- Keep logs of marketing, branding, and publicity efforts. Evaluate each effort and repeat, enhance, or reject it based on its success.
Content
- Feature stories and accomplishments that will interest the target audience.
- Be complete and succinct.
- Deliver in a professional and friendly voice.
- Establish an active relationship with web users by promoting user action.
- Content must be searchable.
- Use headings, lists, links, and tables to help users scan pages effectively.
Design
- Reflect ANE’s personality and vitality with photos that feature people, programs, and activities that our users can relate to.
- Employ a rich color scheme that evokes positive emotions.
- Use design to enhance the message.
- Keep graphics small in file size.
- Use rotating images rather than moving images.
Navigation
- Establish a navigational scheme that is simple, clear, and consistent.
- Links should be consistent in color.
- Links should be underlined.
- Links should reflect visited status.
- Use navigational elements that web users are familiar with or design them in such a way that no explanation is needed.
- Clearly label all links.
- Use repetition judiciously.
- Use language that is consistent across all ANE sites, especially when linking between sites.
Usability
- Consider accessibility at all times.
- Be consistent.
- Use web elements in the usual and customary fashion in order to maintain a flat learning curve.
Assessment
- Store and backup all log files.
- Use log analysis tools to review log files.
- Create and disseminate monthly, quarterly, and annual web traffic and trend reports.
- Store feedback and survey results for annual evaluation.
Maintenance
- Centralize maintenance for marketing and service-based sites.
- Decentralize maintenance for often-updated, user-run sites.
- Send regular site update reminders to site owners.
Authentication
- Use same username and password as much as possible to reduce confusion.
- Use existing user data (First name, Last name, Email, Password, ID)
- Include status for compartmentalization (Student, Faculty, Staff, Alum)
- Authentication is only necessary if requesting a protected page/application
- Incorporate authentication data with directory.
Hardware & Networking
- High-speed
- High-performance
- Affordable
© 2007 Antioch University New England, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431-3516 800.553.8920
Last Updated: 4/9/07