Website Redesign Project FAQ

Web Redesign Project Home

Q: When will staff be able to "see something"?

A: OSUL will be able to see a rough version of the site in late spring 2017, when content training and content migration is scheduled to begin. Because we are developing the site iteratively, releasing a very rough site this early allows us to have meaningful discussions about what's working (or not) and allows ample time to make adjustments.

On a related note, our timeline lists that a public preview will be available mid-summer. This public preview will most certainly not be a complete site, but it will include testable portions for our users to try.

Q: The switchover between old site and new site is not going to happen in the middle of the semester, is it?

A: Absolutely not! But, if the new site is relatively complete, based on content readiness and user testing, we may release it in parallel with the old site until we reach a point in the calendar when a full transition can be made. (Our intention is not to spring a surprise on anyone inside or outside the library with this change.)

Q: What kinds of user testing will we use to get the feedback we need to make good decisions?

A: We're planning a range of techniques to gather user feedback, including:

surveys with structured and open-ended questions - to ask our users about their priorities and opinions
face-to-face methods, such as cardsorting and focus groups - to explore user-focused terminology and intuitive information architecture
task-based user testing - to test portions of the site for ease of use
web analytics and heat mapping - to look for use patterns indicative of good or bad design/implementation

We will need help recruiting participants, as we know we have a wide and diverse audience. Please contact Robyn Ness (ness.16@osu.edu) if you want to suggest people for invitation to face-to-face groups or task-based user testing.

We will also need OSUL members to join the UX cohort, where we'll begin teaching and using these methods. See the /wiki/spaces/libraries/pages/1673367 for more information.

Q: My team and I were thinking about redesigning our web content or adding new content. Should we wait?

A: No, don't wait. Please continue to work on your content changes, which can take some time to write and review. The recommended approach for designing new content is to work with documents in Box (or something similar) that allows easy sharing and commenting. Depending on when you want to release the changes or additions, you may have to post them in the current site as well as to the new site.

Q: After we release the new site, what's the process for making changes? Are we locked into what we decide now?

A: We want the new site to mark a change toward iterative and incremental changes. We want to enable content owners to adapt to newly discovered problems and opportunities – and engage with the /wiki/spaces/libraries/pages/1673367 – to keep improving the site and its content.

Q: Will OSUL website links change with the new site? Will links to catalog records change?

A: For the second question: The catalog is not part of the web redesign project. Links from the catalog will not be affected.

For the first question: Yes, links to pages in the OSUL site will change in the new site. The current CMS creates very long, hard to manage addresses that the new system won't perpetuate. If you are concerned about this change, we encourage you to use GO address <https://go.osu.edu> to create links when promoting content over the next year so you can change where they point to when the old site goes away.

Q: How much control will content owners have over how their pages look? Will there be a way to set a break point for intro text? Can I add a link to my blog?

A: The new CMS will be themed and branded for OSUL. Within your pages you will have choices about how to present your content, including adding images or “floating” elements that change the layout and adding related links to other sites to associate other content.

Q: Will users be able to add their own images?

A: Yes, you will be able to upload images and place them into your content. The CMS will include features to upload files, resize images for web presentation, and apply any styling needed for the site.

Note that, when using images, you may want to consult with Pam McClung or other OSUL staff with questions about image quality and copyright. (As a general rule, don’t use grainy or fuzzy images on the site, be careful of overusing generic clip art that falls outside OSU's brand identity, and never grab images from a web search and use them without permission.)

Q: Will there be flexibility in page editing, including access to edit raw HTML if needed?

A: We know we can't anticipate everything. However, we are designing standard content types for all the content structures that we expect, and we will encourage use of them. Creating consistency in presentation is beneficial to our users because they will learn what to expect - where to find information, how to interact with pages - rather than having everyone do things differently throughout the site.

There will be an option for flexible editing of content that doesn't match the provided set of standard content types, because there will always be some exceptions. If you are concerned that a feature/content type/presentation style you currently use isn't available, please reach out to Robyn to see if we can design a solution.

Q: What if I have website content that is related to/linked to/shared by my content in Subject & Course Guides (LibGuides)? What if I have site content that is mainly for internal purposes (staff training, standards and processes, etc.)?

A: During consultations for each section of the site, we'll look at content on a case by case basis with content owners to see where content best fits into different web systems (LibGuides, CarmenWiki, website, etc.), under guidance of the "What Content Goes Where" document <http://go.osu.edu/osul-wcgw>. For the web redesign project, our overarching goals are not to have redundant content on multiple systems, to focus the public website on public-facing services and resources, and to present content to our users so they don't find half-answers across multiple pages.

Q: Will there be a link on the new library site’s homepage to the Intranet?

A: With the site change, we are making an effort to separate content meant for OSUL faculty and staff from content meant for our public users. This means there will not be a link to our internal pages on the site. However, we will work closely with OSUL Communications and individual departments to make sure everyone knows how to find the Intranet.

Q: Will the new site support editing and displaying non-roman languages?

A: The system we've selected is widely used around the world and offers strong support for internationalization. We've already seen evidence that the system is handling character languages. We will work with OSUL departments who have expertise in this area to further test and to offer training, if needed.

Q: Instead of associating a location or service to an individual, can there be an option to attach a cluster/org account?

A: That's a great suggestion. We'll look into making that work.

Q: When creating events, can the system be flexible enough to import from other sites (such as the Research Commons site) and to allow off-campus/non-OSUL events from affiliated groups?

A: Another great suggestion. We'll see what we can do.

Q: Can you design a print view for calendar and exhibits that make it easy to post them on bulletin boards?

A: That would be quite cool. We’ll explore this option, but probably not until a later point in the project.

Q: What will the discovery tool be?

A: Although the redesigned website will display the discovery tool prominently, discovery redesign is happening separately. Information regarding discovery changes will be coming later in the summer, and the web redesign project will adapt as needed.

Q: Is there going to be a search this site option in addition to the discovery tool?

A: Because our user research and web statistics suggest many people search these boxes interchangeably in the current site, we are exploring the idea of a single searchbox on the site. More information will be available through the Discovery Project later in the summer.

Q: Will Google and other search engines index the site?

A: Yes. When we are ready to release the new site, we’ll submit it for indexing. If we do that too soon, having both the old and the new sites available in web search results may confuse our patrons.