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Web awareness and web writing November 2011 v4.1 Web Awareness and Web Writing: Course outline • • • • • • • • Background: the University website and its changes – why and how The Visual Identity and Web Standards Improving web content: web writing and layout Good page layout Preparing and planning your content Aspects of accessibility Being aware of the legal bits What’s next? What is a CMS and what does the next course cover? The changing university website… Why change? The University website: 1. Inconsistent look and feel across the website 2. ‘Page not found’ was 6th most accessed page (2010) 3. ¼ million web pages: 25% of which hadn’t changed in last 5yrs. (2010) 4. 376 sub-websites (2010) 5. Pages were hard to find 6. Quality was continually suffering What’s being changed? Being phased out… What’s being changed? A new look and feel with a focus on the audience-facing website, first. Three key areas: 1. User-centric: reflect user needs rather than the university structure. • Five ‘global’ headings: ‘Study’, ‘Research’, ‘Faculties and departments’, ‘Business’ and ‘About’ What’s being changed? Three key areas: 2. Visual: a vibrant campus lifestyle and world-class research: - wanting a richer, more visual site to reflect our key strengths. 3. Accurate and current: using our CMS the site is being built using only regularly maintained or new content. This will ensure our users find the right information quicker and easier. What’s being changed? Creating standards: Visual Identity and Web Standards Why are these important? A unified look and feel across the external website: • • to rebrand the University and to produce high quality, audience-focused web content What do they contain? • Visual Identity: layout on web pages for videos, photos, quotes, tables and how to use the header and footer, tone of voice and more. • Web Standards: web writing, headings, images, linking, file and folder names, calls to action and more. Improving web content First impressions: what does your web shop window say about you? Improving web content: interactive exercise 1 The web users’ experience: finding and applying for student accommodation 1. Abertay Dundee: http://go.bath.ac.uk/7dtz 2. Warwick: http://go.bath.ac.uk/hzqc 3. Edinburgh: http://go.bath.ac.uk/24ct 4. UCL: http://go.bath.ac.uk/khgl 5. York: http://go.bath.ac.uk/3zwi Improving web content: interactive exercise 2 Web behaviour: the screen page and printed page • Read the text on the screen and then on the printed sheet: - is the experience the same or different for each? - which did you prefer? • What of the content itself: poor, ok, useful? • Why is the type of medium important (i.e. screen versus print)? Improving web content: web writing and layout Web behaviour: they don’t read, they ‘scan’. Eye tracking results produce mainly an ‘F’ or ‘E’ pattern on the web page. In just a few seconds, they are scanning for: • short, informative headings and sub-headings • short, informative key words and sentences • bulleted lists and other areas that stand out Improving web content: web writing and layout • Focus on what you know your audience wants • Plan: prepare and organise content in advance • Decide and place your conclusions first • Place 'calls to action' at the top (submit, apply, visit) • Should the content be kept, cut down or culled • Look at other University web pages for duplication • Use plain English and be brief, direct and clear • Regularly review: relevant, up to date, engaging? • For effect: don’t centre text in the web page and don’t put headings in bold Good page layout 2 1 8 Page header 1 Vital text Image Page header summarises vital text 3 Call to action 2 3 Vital text: ‘must have’ info, one idea… Call to action: ‘apply’, ‘find out’, ‘browse’ 7 Section header 4 l 4 Section header: readable, clear l 5 9 l 5 Bulleted list: more ‘must have’ info 6 Important info: short, relevant, one idea… 7 White space: to rest the eye 8 Image placement: supporting, apparent 9 Inverted pyramid: ‘conclusion’ first Important text 6 Least important Good page layout (www.bath.ac.uk/study/ug/finance/) 8 Page header 1 2 Vital text Image 3 Call to action 77 Section header 4 l l 5 5 9 l Important text 6 Least important 9 Improving web content: web writing Active/passive voice 1. “Books may be borrowed from the library.” “You can borrow books from the library.” 2. “It is recommended that...” “We recommend that...” Plain English “…subsequent approval of which will be a pre-requisite to the raising of any internal order mechanism.” “You will need approval before we can raise an internal order.” Aspects of accessibility: one example… Why we must not use ‘Click here’ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Click here for pneumonia information You can access information on pneumonia by clicking here More information on pneumonia is here. See more information about Pneumonia. More information on pneumonia is available by following this link. More information on pneumonia is available by following this link. Follow this link for more information on pneumonia Pneumonia: www.bath.ac.uk/health/pneumonia.html To book a place on this course click here Being aware of the legal bits… Copyright www.bath.ac.uk/web/copyright/ • For example, don’t use photographic content without consent or paying for it Equalities Act • Use inclusive language (according to race, religion, culture, gender, age, disability and so on) • Don’t create a two tier level of provision that discriminates. For example, deaf, hard of hearing and blind students Freedom of Information (FOI) www.bath.ac.uk/foi/ - the publication scheme and right of access request Data Protection and Privacy Statement www.bath.ac.uk/internal/data-protection www.bath.ac.uk/web/privacy - gaining consent to use personal information. For example, using a model release form, permission to use names and addresses… Disclaimer www.bath.ac.uk/web/disclaimer/ What’s next? Editing in the CMS (essentials) training Course covers: • • • • • Using web awareness and web writing principles Using the CMS to make simple page changes Creating links to pages Pasting content from another source Adding contact details from Person Finder Editable regions are indicated by a yellow pencil