A simple web content management tool as the solution to a web site redesign

ABSTRACT

Before embarking upon a large web site project, whether creating a new site or just redesigning one, it is generally accepted practice not to begin work until all the problem specifications are ironed out. Some of the information that is usually required is the audience of the site, the intended purpose of the site, and the scope of the content provided in the site. The technical specifications of the site, such as accessibility, usability, file format, layout, and style, are then usually derived from this information. This is textbook web project management methodology.At the University at Buffalo, we found ourselves in a real-world, less-than-ideal situation with our IT web site redesign. Without possessing all the preliminary information, we had no choice but to begin writing content and designing our site. This was with the full knowledge that several of the project specifications would change, or not be known to us until we were well into building the site. Interesting questions arose such as how we were going to efficiently make future layout and navigation changes that would propagate throughout the site.Additionally, there were other challenges we had to face that were typical of any large-scale web project. For example, with multiple authors with varying degrees of web publishing expertise, how were we going to maintain consistency of style, layout, and file format throughout the site? We felt that these challenges provided a perfect opportunity to implement a simple web content management tool. By creating units of content separate from their presentation, we gave ourselves the flexibility we needed to easily rearrange and redesign our site along the way. In addition, we simplified the process of editing and overhauling the site in the future.

REFERENCES

• 1: Student Computing Web Project website: http://wings.buffalo.edu/computing/scw2002/
• 2: The new CIT website: <http://www.cit.buffalo.edu/>

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces
          Subjects: Computer-supported cooperative work

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces
          Subjects: Collaborative computing; Web-based interaction
      H.5.4 Hypertext/Hypermedia
          Subjects: Architectures

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors

Keywords:
content management, web