Meetings, Minutes, & Relevant Documents
Revisit of UVU Student Website Structure
Email Communication 7/7/2011
UVU Student Website Structure Team:
On 6/17/2011 we sent a list of the top 100 search terms on our site (as per the Google mini). Attached is a list created by WRS containing those top 100 search terms, the current top three results for each search term, and what we believe the top three results "should" be.
Please note that the list of what "should" be the top three results is only the opinions of our team and not conclusive. Also, it appears that Google mini does not search any sites or directories not directly included in uvu.edu (for example, it will not find wolverinegreen.com or any pages on that site). It is currently unknown whether that can be changed or not.
We welcome your input and suggestions. Please email Sindy Whitehead (at whitehsi@uvu.edu) with your thoughts and ideas. We will then work with WDS to implement the changes on this list.
Thank you for your continued interest & support.
- Sindy Whitehead
Web Resource Services
Email Communication 7/7/2011
UVU Student Website Structure Team:
Next, Web Resource Services will be completing the survey/usability as we had described in our 6/2/2011 meeting. You should expect results from this to be shared by early August. After this is complete we can regroup again and see where we go from here in regard to the UVU Website Student Structure (I will contact you in regard to a meeting time as well sometime in early August).
Thank you all for your interest and patience as we accumulate research results! I believe they will help us make far more informed decisions and thus are worth the effort and time.
Warm regards,
Anne
what-clicking-student-homepage.xlsx
Email communication 6/17/2011
UVU Student Website Structure Team:
I had said we would share results as we get them that came up in our meetings. So, here is the first set. A heat map should hopefully be soon to follow and then the survey/usability results which will be about a month later.
UVU Google Search Top 100 Queries (searches done from a UVU page including UVU home page)
Important Caveat:
One word of warning...the top 100 searches that are in the report will ONLY show the searches that were actually executed through the Google mini. If someone came to UVU and put in the search box "gerber" and then clicked on my name that shows up in the javascript drop down, that would never hit the google mini and thus our report will never show it.
So I guess what I am saying is that the top 100 list in this report is a good start, but it is not accurate to as exactly what people are searching for, it will be missing some key terms that just may not hit the google mini.
That said, here are the top 50 results (see attached PDF for full results)
TOP 50 RESULTS
==========================
bookstore - 1804
testing center - 1736
library - 1530
map - 1449
nursing - 1271
campus map - 1086
job board - 1040
financial aid - 994
housing - 911
tuition - 884
calendar - 823
transcripts - 744
aviation - 663
catalog - 643
grades - 584
jobs - 582
graduation - 550
accuplacer - 548
course catalog - 521
wolverine track - 502
academic calendar - 494
one stop - 493
majors - 479
finals schedule - 477
registration - 447
online classes - 396
email - 390
scholarships - 389
final exam schedule - 375
finals - 371
parking - 353
summer university - 334
class schedule - 312
mba - 304
pre health - 303
schedule - 301
transfer - 287
maps - 280
athletics - 277
depression - 276
summer 2011 - 276
transcript - 274
fall 2011 - 273
online courses - 272
uv job board - 268
music 261
ctc - 257
esl - 256
uvu job board - 251
If one or more of these words are of interest to you and you want to give feedback on what the results should be, please email me (Anne Arendt) as marketing (WRS) is compiling a list of where they go now (top 3 links that appear) and where we would prefer they go (top 3 links we wish would appear)
Remember: You can also affect your search result rankings by updating your 'meta' data (title and description). To do this:
1. Open a page to edit in Omni (by hitting the date at the bottom of the page)
2. Hit the 'content' button even if it is already highlighted
3. Hit the grey 'light bulb 'icon next to the file name that you want to change the meta data for
The light bulb will turn yellow and more icons will appear
4. Choose the icon that looks like a wrench
5. Alter your page title (not what appears on the page itself but what appears in search results and at the very top of browser screens when you open a page), keywords, and description
6. Hit 'save'
7. Hit 'publish now'
8. Put in a comment about the change you made if you desire
9. Hit 'publish'
Note: it will take a few days for Google serach to update and 'see' the changes; However you have now at least submitted so the changes should be incorporated soon. If you changed the title you should be able to see that immediately by opening the page and looking at the very top of your browser (dark blue line with white text in Firefox and IE)
Thanks! Feel free to contact me with questions,
Anne
view search-reports-march-may-2011.pdf
Next Meeting:
Pending. It will be after research is complete from 6.2.2011 meeting. Most likely 1 month (early July, 2011)
Notes from 6.2.2011 meeting:
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 from 9:00 to 10:30 (at the latest) in Alumni House Conference Room
Agenda:
- Determine surveys and assessments that need to be done (and how they should be done) before we can define restructure plan
In attendance: Anne Arendt, Jeanie Cranney, Liz Childs, Kimberly Barraclough, Phil Taylor, Ryan Burton, Vadra Rowley, Student representative (missed name), Jacob from future students, R. Stutz
Not in attendance: Margaret Bellon, Bob Rasmussen, Jason Kennedy, Luann Smith, Michelle Taylor, Ray Walker, Tom Rasmussen, Bradley Plothow, Brian Birch, Brian Blumer, Chris Taylor, Colby Callahan, Cory Duckworth, David Tobler, Dawn Burgess, Doug Gardner, Dru Huffaker, Eva Bernfeld, Gwen Anderson, Jared Stein, Jason Grotegut, JoAnn Innes, Julie Bagley, Laura Busby, Louis Allen, Marcy Glassford, Matthew Reichman, Michael Shaw, Michael Snapp, Michelle Kearns, Nathan Gerber, Robert Ward, Sherry Harward, Sindy Whitehead, Spencer Childs, Student Government, Susan Palmer, Susan Palmer, Suzy Cox, Torben Bernhard
Notes:
Break in to small groups to discuss what research we wish we had in relation to the student segment of our site
Group1:
- more toward opening of debate of separation of students/uvlink
- have it all in uvlink (straight and narrow)
- where all student interaction is done
comment: how many using students site don't have a uvlink acccount
comment: if you want to know about tuition it will link you out to site. It would be a launching page. Where do we direct people to get info they way. Students could be directed right into uvlink.
Group2:
- the way our students are used to navigating is not menus but search but our search is weak.
- Lets look at the search terms used in there. Find a way to get specific statistics for our google search.
samples: state tuition, add course- we really need a heat map
- this is what they are using when they are navigating
The search engine is tuneable.
our navigation is visible and decentralized. search is under the hood a little bit. We have not put as much effort into it. That is how we use the web now. It seems to pull up a lot of PDF files.
Research: go search heavy what students want -- do they want to find things via search (what is it they are doing and why); then drive things that direction.
comment: search is quicker if it works properly.
comment: ask the wolverine (could it have been search for entire site)
Group3:
- UV link should be for present students; the student tab would be for potential students (future students); with that premise
- we started talking about our web site in total. Why do students go to our web site?open ended question: What do you go to our website for? uvlink could be modified with three or four folders or channels so they are not trying to hope between two sites. while in doing their course stuff they could think about 'oh, what is next semesters' cost'question: how do you find what you are looking for and why?
- why use the tool you use (search for example) - if there is a lot of navigation it is intimidating/discouragine
- does student look to navigation first or search first (what is first attempt)
- departmental navigation bar -- if students knew that was a navigation bar (we are not getting hits -- departmental navigation not being used as nagivation -- perhaps a design flaw)
What are our next steps?
GET INFORMATION
- Ask students
- get search results for UVU search
- get heat maps (Phil Taylor assigned to this task and to email results to full group)
idea: usability lab
Give them tasks basic questions: why do you come to our site? just for your studies?
Theory: students are here to go to class; not to socialize Head them off in the hallway may be more effective because of type of campus we have If they are not here to go to class they are not here Some students do stay for activities If you want social you are going to find it If we had booth in food area
Do we monitor the UVU Kiosks? No. Put tracking software on. (like instant info -- do they get used a lot? Yes? No more than five minutes and someone will be on it -- defaults to UVLink login page but you can get to full site) -- you can't check espn for example
Do the survey from the booth --
- have food or some incentive voucher for slice of pizza (Bob jdawg coupons)
- ** look at scoops coupon (double scoop ice cream cone)
- put a few computers up and have them fill it out on the computer
Survey (decided as large group)
Picture of the UVU web site home page:
1) What do you use the UVU Web site for?
Picture of UVLink login page:
2) What do you use this site for?
Idea: different platforms may yield different results. Perhaps Ipad, Computer with a trackball, computer with a mouse -- different based on tool you are using? touch screen didn't work so well How would you differentiate UVLink from the public site.
3) What is the difference in how you use these two sites? (public site and UVLink)
Please find this information:
4) -- tuition rates
5) -- registration dates
6) -- please find your transcript
7) -- find a list of majors available (do we have a major in dog grooming?)
8) -- find information about financial aid at UVUnote: combination of things only on public and things in either place (wiser to use items that can be found in both)
9&10):Did you know that this line here is navigation? (first and second line)
How many people: 20, 100, 100, above 50
Make sure students only
Candy bar for the short part
If willing to stay for usability then double scoop of ice cream
Limit the amount of note taking -- in usablity section, have benchmarks (did they do this or that yes/no)
Note: Web Resource Services will run this survey/assessment. We will reconvene when results are in.
Notes from 5.26.2011 meeting:
In attendance: Anne Arendt, Margaret Bellon, Bob Rasmussen, Jason Kennedy, Jeanie Cranney, Liz Childs, Luann Smith, Kimberly Barraclough, Michelle Taylor, Phil Taylor, Ray Walker, Ryan Burton, Tom Rasmussen, Vadra Rowley
Not in attendance: Bradley Plothow, Brian Birch, Brian Blumer, Chris Taylor, Colby Callahan, Cory Duckworth, David Tobler, Dawn Burgess, Doug Gardner, Dru Huffaker, Eva Bernfeld, Gwen Anderson, Jared Stein, Jason Grotegut, JoAnn Innes, Julie Bagley, Laura Busby, Louis Allen, Marcy Glassford, Matthew Reichman, Michael Shaw, Michael Snapp, Michelle Kearns, Nathan Gerber, Robert Ward, R. Stutz, Sherry Harward, Sindy Whitehead, Spencer Childs, Student Government, Susan Palmer, Susan Palmer, Suzy Cox, Torben Bernhard
Preamble: The rules
- We are establishing navigational structure, not design.
- We are focused one the public side of the web for this discussion, not uvlink
- We are focused on current students
We broke in to four groups and attempted to 'mind map' (draw out) what the structure of the student segment of the UVU site should look like if we could do anything we wanted. We had mixed results and no final products. In a nutshell here are some conclusions:
- We need to think about the audience experience and not how we are structured; now it seems based on our organization structure.
- We need to ask the students (but not necessarily have them decide; we know what they need, they know the terminology they would use to find it)
- We need more student representation
- We need to have research
- We could just have a search box and not worry about structure
- We did not have consensus
- some see repeated navigational elements as redundant -- there are differing views on repetition of links making things easier to find or harder to find -- it is largely based on if you think you can predict how everyone will search navigation-wise
- We have issues with terminology (terms students may use versus what is there now)
Some things we need to survey on:
- How many people only search and use nothing else?
- How many people use any aspect of our navigation?
- What do students think the structure should be?
- What terms do students use to find things (either using search or looking in navigation)
- What terms do people use in our search now
- Ask students to find things like tuition and see what they do to find it (similar to results at http://www.uvu.edu/wrs/meetingsminutes/usabilitymay192010.html)
Rationale for what we have currently can be found at http://resource.uvu.edu/uvu_site/current_student.html
Kickoff message sent:
Sent to: Academic Standards, Anne Arendt, Bob Rasmussen, Bradley Plothow , Brian Birch, Brian Blumer, Chris Taylor, Colby Callahan, Cory Duckworth, David Tobler, Dawn Burgess, Doug Gardner, Dru Huffaker, Eva Bernfeld, Gwen Anderson, Jared Stein, Jason Grotegut, Jason Kennedy, Jeanie Cranney, JoAnn Innes, Julie Bagley, Kimberly Barraclough, Laura Busby, Liz Childs, Louis Allen, Marcy Glassford, Matthew Reichman, Michael Shaw, Michael Snapp, Michelle Kearns, Michelle Taylor, Nathan Gerber, Phil Taylor, Ray Walker, Robert Ward, R. Stutz, Ryan Burton, Sherry Harward, Sindy Whitehead, Spencer Childs, Student Government, Susan Palmer, Susan Palmer, Suzy Cox, Tom Rasmussen, Torben Bernhard, Vadra Rowley
5/20/2011 11:09 AM
Based on a series of changes that have occurred at UVU since the implementing of our UVU Student segment of the site I think the full http://www.uvu.edu/students/ structure and navigation should be revisited to make our site the best it can be in regard to usability and navigation. You are being invited to be involved in this brainstorm discussion and we welcome you to extend the invitation to others. We would like as much input as possible.
Where: Alumni House conference room
When: Thursday, May 26th from 10 to 11:30
Agenda:
- Mind map what we would like to have on UVU student site (as sub-groups)
- Combine mind maps
- Find areas of discussion
- Where to go from here (getting student input, strategic web action team, communications committee, subgroups if needed, etc)
Thank you in advance for your consideration!