ITS has a new online home in WordPress!
The first thing you’ll notice is that the homepage has been modernized to make it easier to get to the information you’re looking for.
New sections and organization, from the top:
- Highlighted section with links to resources for remote work, teaching and learning during COVID-19.
- Homepage banner.
- A new Search bar – shows results as you type!
- Quick access to resources for when you need immediate assistance.
- Services available throughout the department, organized into major categories.
The Web Services Team has been at the center of all Carleton’s web development for more than a decade. They were directly involved with the design and implementation of all the separate parts that make up our new site. Their time and expertise were crucial to the success of this (and all) migrations from Reason to WordPress.
One of the strengths of WordPress is its use of ‘blocks,’ which we’ve further harnessed in our own custom blocks. These blocks have enabled us to put the most frequently-used services at the user’s fingertips, keeping the rest of the ITS “iceberg” under the surface. Our “Guided Links” search bar allows the user to start typing and then provides a drop-down of relevant pages; our “Boxed Navigation” blocks (in yellow) break the important topics free from the navigational structure, getting the user to their destination quickly — and without forcing them to click through the nav. People move through websites differently now, and I think the new design lends itself to that.
– Bret Farley, Web Services
A few groups in ITS (PEPS, AT, Telecom, etc) had their own sites in Reason. These sites have been converted to landing pages and integrated into the new ITS site in WordPress.
The work is still ongoing. It takes a while to get all the kinks out after launching a large website on a new platform. Some pages will change over the next few weeks and months. New links will be added to the Search bar.
That’s one of the powerful aspects of any website, its plasticity to adapt to new situations and conditions. Our goal will be to provide useful services that are broadly accessible.
Moving the ITS site to WordPress was much more than a migration. This transition was a great opportunity to get the site cleaned up from many years of accumulation, and reorganize things in a way that hopefully serves you better today. The find-as-you-type search feature has been very successful for us on other sites and is an example of how we’re adapting to the way people work these days. Site maintainers are able to establish the keyword list, which makes it somewhat customized to the needs of the site it is on. This site launch was a gigantic effort, and we especially thank Jeanne Blair and everyone involved for their thoughtful work.
-Julie Anderson, Web Services
If you have suggestions for improvements, please let us know!