{"id":1023,"date":"2023-05-22T11:44:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T10:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/?p=1023"},"modified":"2023-05-22T12:10:28","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T11:10:28","slug":"rolling-out-department-web-rebuilds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/2023\/05\/22\/rolling-out-department-web-rebuilds\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolling out department web rebuilds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We\u2019re about to complete the pilot phase of our big project to work with all academic departments to update their web pages to new templates and optimised content. Here&#8217;s an update on what we&#8217;ve done so far and what\u2019s coming next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What we&#8217;ve done so far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first phase of the project was to create web presences for our three new academic schools. These went live in August 2022:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/arts-creative-technologies\/\">School of Arts and Creative Technologies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/business-society\/\">School for Business and Society<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/physics-engineering-technology\/\">School of Physics, Engineering and Technology<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We used the schools project as an opportunity to develop a framework for what an academic department web presence and redevelopment project should look like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve since piloted that framework with three academic departments: The Departments of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/history\/\">History<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/economics\/\">Economics and Related Studies<\/a> went live in January and the Department of Mathematics is due to be completed this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These projects were led by Communications in close collaboration with Marketing, Recruitment, Admissions and Outreach (MRAO) and academic school\/department teams. They\u2019ve been very successful and we\u2019ve had lots of great feedback on the process and end results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Thanks very much and congratulations on pulling all this off. It was a huge project and a very tight timeframe and the results are excellent, given the constraints.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Post-project feedback from a Head of School<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;The end product is of a high quality, and the format of the website and the tools used to collate copy were easy to use to enable the process.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<cite>Feedback survey respondent from one of the new schools<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;The project was incredibly well organised and orchestrated by the team. Regular project meetings and comprehensive meeting notes were appreciated. As academic lead in my department I always felt supported. Things happened in an ordered and timely manner. Using Bugherd to give feedback was very intuitive and engaging.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Feedback survey respondent from one of the pilot departments<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the departmental web presence framework has achieved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Easier maintenance <\/strong>&#8211; typically these rebuilds have led to a 60%+ reduction in number of pages per department<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No drop in overall traffic <\/strong>&#8211;<strong> <\/strong>despite the significant reduction in page count<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consistency<\/strong> &#8211; through a consistent site structure and content hierarchy, focused on scalability and efficiency of user journeys<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More efficient <\/strong>&#8211; we\u2019ve built a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/department-template\/\">\u2018department template\u2019 site<\/a> (link accessible to staff only); a multi-page set of department pages ready for population with bespoke content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More impact and a better user experience <\/strong>&#8211;<strong> <\/strong>we\u2019ve rebuilt key pages in the newest Digital Pattern Library (DPL) web templates, used impactful and informative layouts, and included new functionality for staff listings, Twitter feeds and hero videos<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Homepage &#8211; before<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"615\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Physics-Physics-University-of-York-3-1.png?resize=615%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Physics-Physics-University-of-York-3-1.png?w=615&amp;ssl=1 615w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Physics-Physics-University-of-York-3-1.png?resize=192%2C300&amp;ssl=1 192w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The previous Department of Physics homepage in Classic templates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Homepage &#8211; after<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/School-of-Physics-Engineering-and-Technology-University-of-York-2.png?resize=607%2C1187&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1033\" width=\"607\" height=\"1187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/School-of-Physics-Engineering-and-Technology-University-of-York-2.png?w=491&amp;ssl=1 491w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/School-of-Physics-Engineering-and-Technology-University-of-York-2.png?resize=153%2C300&amp;ssl=1 153w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 607px) 100vw, 607px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/physics-engineering-technology\/\">School of Physics, Engineering and Technology homepage<\/a> &#8211; fresh imagery, a hero video showcasing the breadth of study in the school and a new Twitter feed template<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Undergraduate study &#8211; before<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-study-History-Old-University-of-York-2.png?resize=627%2C730&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1035\" width=\"627\" height=\"730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-study-History-Old-University-of-York-2.png?w=824&amp;ssl=1 824w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-study-History-Old-University-of-York-2.png?resize=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1 258w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-study-History-Old-University-of-York-2.png?resize=768%2C895&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 627px) 100vw, 627px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The previous Department of History page about undergraduate study options had lots of sub-pages, many with low engagement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Undergraduate study &#8211; after <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-Department-of-History-University-of-York-2.png?resize=629%2C1363&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1036\" width=\"629\" height=\"1363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-Department-of-History-University-of-York-2.png?w=443&amp;ssl=1 443w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Undergraduate-Department-of-History-University-of-York-2.png?resize=138%2C300&amp;ssl=1 138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/physics-engineering-technology\/study\/physics-undergraduate\/\">undergraduate subject page about degrees in history<\/a> is a one stop shop with a reduced number of subpages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s next?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve got six rebuilds under our belts and lots of learnings for how to make these go smoothly and a bit quicker. There are 18 core departments and 6 multidisciplinary centres remaining in Classic templates, and we\u2019ve heard from many of these that they\u2019re eager to update their pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve been working on plans for how to roll out improvements at an increased pace to satisfy demand and improve the user experience for website visitors no matter which department they\u2019re interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Essential fundamentals first<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So that the remaining departments can benefit from updates faster, we plan to focus on rebuilding higher traffic and higher impact pages first. We\u2019ll hopefully circle back to lower-impact pages at a later date, but this prioritisation of scope is vital to making the rebuild process practical for a large number of departments over a reasonable timeframe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In scope<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>These sections of departmental web presences will be redeveloped based on departmental template site page layouts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Homepage (including an optional hero video)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People (staff listings pages with filter functionality by role type, discipline and PhD supervision, but not individual profiles at this stage)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Study (for prospective students including new postgraduate research course pages)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About us (including news, events and optional facilities pages)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contact us<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Out of scope<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>These sections will continue to be included in the website hierarchy but won\u2019t be redeveloped for the first phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research pages (core pages have already been rebuild into DPL templates)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Information for businesses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outreach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Internal content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equality, diversity and inclusion pages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any other bespoke content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Faculty Spokes collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re working closely with the new Faculty Spoke marketing teams, based in MRAO, to enable these projects to move forward at pace this year for departments who are keen to take the opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in a department which has yet to have your web pages updated, your faculty team will be in touch soon. In the meantime if you\u2019re interested in more details, you can find out more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/wiki.york.ac.uk\/display\/DM\/Essential+fundamentals%3A+academic+department+web+rebuilds\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/wiki.york.ac.uk\/display\/DM\/Essential+fundamentals%3A+academic+department+web+rebuilds\">essential fundamentals rebuild package, timescales and processes<\/a> on the University wiki (staff only).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re about to complete the pilot phase of our big project to work with all academic departments to update their web pages to new templates and optimised content. Here&#8217;s an update on what we&#8217;ve done so far and what\u2019s coming next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[63,11,48],"class_list":["post-1023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-content-strategy","tag-departments","tag-web"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Department-of-History-University-of-York-banner.jpg?fit=823%2C510&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"custom_fields":{"_edit_lock":["1684753707:11"],"_last_editor_used_jetpack":["block-editor"],"_thumbnail_id":["1037"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}