Next Step Navigation [CASE V]
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The document outlines principles for effective website design and content strategy, emphasizing user experience and navigation. Key takeaways include anticipating user needs, categorizing content, and designing for stickiness to enhance engagement. It also suggests maintaining a content inventory and training authors to improve site effectiveness.
Next Step Navigation [CASE V]
- 1. Follow the 2010 CASE V Conference on Twitter#CASEVNext Step NavigationCommunications and Web Track sponsored by Alumni Magnet
- 2. @ehodgsoHigher education web for 10 years
- 3. Consulting and implementation background
- 4. University of Iowa FoundationTwo Guiding PrinciplesWeb sites are built for visitorsWeb sites are built for a purposebankofamerica.com | google.com
- 5. Key TakeawaysAnticipate user next stepsBuild a content categorization strategyUnderstand content typesDesign a page to promote stickiness
- 6. Why go to the trouble?Photoby Bert Werk via Flickr
- 7. “The Web is a selfish place. People don’t have time. They scan pages looking for something specific. Most people have absolutely no interest in links such as ‘What We Do’ and ‘Who We Are’. They only care about what you can do for them.”Gerry McGovernThe Ugly, The Bad, and The Goodwww.cocc.edu | www.ttu.edu | www.du.edu
- 8. Anticipate their needsPhotoby James Cridland via Flickr
- 9. User ExperienceAssume every visit is the user’s firstAssume the user knows nothing about youPhotobywsimmons via Flickr
- 10. User ExperienceTheir browser, their rulesThey have one task in mindPhotoby Al Power via Flickr
- 11. Site AnalyticsThe more clicks, the more dataPath trackingContinual site improvementPhotobymuir.ceardach via Flickr
- 12. Popularity contestPagesActionsKeywordsLet them tell you
- 13. Content categorizationPhotobydfulmer via Flickr
- 14. CategoriesNavigationAcademics, About, Admissions, Development…AudiencesFuture students, Current students, Parents, Faculty and staff…ActionsApply, Visit campus, Give, Register…PhotobyMyklRoventine via Flickr
- 16. Content inventoryPage titleContent categoriesPage owners/authorsParent pageNavigation structureRenewal planPhotoby (nutmeg) via Flickr
- 17. Content types to categorizeMarketingNews and eventsActionsPhotos and videosProfilesNavigation Social Content
- 18. www.utexas.edu
- 19. www.iue.edu
- 20. Design for stickinessPhotoby Tjflex2 via Flickr
- 21. Design PrinciplesStacked layoutFlexible content areasScan abilityPhotoby Mike Rohde via Flickr
- 22. WireframesTemplatesHome pageSectional pageContent pageSpecialty pagesWireframe elementsPage minimumsNavigation structureContent typesFlexible elements
- 23. www.fiu.edu
- 24. www.bu.edu
- 25. www.okwu.edu
- 26. Getting startedSet categories for all contentTrain your authorsDocument your activitiesPhotoby Phil Gyford via Flickr
- 27. Today’s session evaluations will be e-mailed to you.Session handouts are available at www.casefive.org/conference/presentations/Username: CASEV_attendee | Password: ChicagoFollow the 2010CASE V Conference on Twitter@CASE_DistrictV. Use the #CASEV hashtag when you tweet!
Editor's Notes
- #2: Definition: anticipation of what the user wants on the site after completing primary action. Talk a lot about categorization. It is the framework of a Next Step Navigation strategy
- #3: I have been on both the vendor side and university side. Understand that all sites center around one thing: user experience.
- #4: You have to understand the primary focus of your site, which is centered around moving the relationship forward with the site visitor. Build your site around what information your users want and what you want them to do.Bank of America allows its visitors the convenience of online banking. Primary actionGoogle, although they are doing a ton more now, are still primarily a search engine.
- #5: At the end of the session, have a plan to better serve your site visitors. Give them the unexpected.
- #6: This is not a ‘dabble’ philosophy. A categorization plan involves organization. It involves content tracking and management.
- #7: Older quote from Gerry McGovern, web content management guru. New book focuses on fulfilling user needs. Understand what a user wants and how you can solve their problem.You heard this yesterday from Jim Kane. It’s not about you. It’s about what you can do for them.New Thinking: weekly newsletter from Gerry.
- #8: I don’t like showing bad examples in higher education, but you need to see the progression.COCC: dead end. You got your information and that’s about it. Now use your back button if you want moreTTU: Too many options. They categorize the links well, but this feels like yahoo’s home page. Categorized, but throws everything at the user.DU: Focus on actions, then on secondary options.
- #9: You have categorization in place. It’s now time to know what the next steps are for the users. You’ve seen examples where we are pulling in related content and navigation. How do we know.We go to our analytics
- #10: They are looking for relevance. Hopefully, they are coming from some sort of push marketing, so they are driven to do something, but you can’t control that. Your job is to move the relationship forward.
- #11: Content is not king, the USER is. They choose when to hang up on you. Your job is to engage them. Go the extra mile to fulfill their needs.
- #12: #1 goal is to make sure the primary actions are fulfilled.If they are fulfilled, what do they do after completion?If they aren’t fulfilled, what are they doing instead of completing the action?
- #13: Look for your most popular pages and paths to determine where your users are spending time.Track your actions as goals, then see the paths and the bounce rates from these pages. Let them tell you what your users are doing after they complete a big action.What labels are site visitors using to find content on your site?
- #14: Next step navigation is relational.Every content element needs a homeEvery content element needs a navigation strategy
- #15: Start with the obvious. Be consistentTrain authorsCentralize content categorization process
- #16: Navigation is business relatedLinks are business relatedNews is business related
- #17: We use Excel to do this, but content management systems allow this as well. Focus on every piece of content you manageProbably one person in charge of this per site.
- #18: Use this as meta information for pages as well. - Use RSS for news and events, and profiles- Automate your page templates to pull these in.
- #19: Several entry points and content types for Campus Life.Events, photos/features, base content, actions…all related
- #20: On the home page, integration of social content. Use tagging to take this one step further to mix this throughout the site.
- #21: Build a platform to allow for secondary navigation and features
- #22: Content is only half of the story. As you look at design for web in higher education, it focuses on flexibility
- #23: Know what you have to put on the page. Break pages up into types and allow flexible elements to grow the closer to the top of the site.