Meet the Team: Niki Stanley

In her previous post, Lori asked our staff to blog about our jobs here in Web Communications. My working title is assistant director, and in that role, I serve as the project manager and Lori's (our director's) back-up. When we begin a project, I usually work with Lori to develop a project plan, requirements and a timeline. I then work with the other members of our team to make sure we have what we need to complete a project on time. This generally requires facilitating, problem-solving and polite nagging.

I'm also the information architect for the office. It's my job to inventory, organize and label the information on a Web site so that it is usable and useful to the site visitor. This typically involves doing research to find out how folks use a site, what their needs are and how those mesh with the goals and objectives of the department or owner of the Web site. I ask a lot of questions and try to put myself in the shoes of the people a Web site will serve. I work closely with writers and other content specialists who write copy for the site. Once I have the organizational framework created, I pass this on to the assigned Web designer who will create the graphical interface (look and feel) and then build the site in HTML and CSS. Once a site has been launched, I help evaluate and find ways to address any problems visitors may have using the site.

My third role, a much smaller part of my job, is Web designer. When I started at Web Communications over five years ago, this was my primary role — graphic design and coding for Web sites. While my role has changed over the years, I still manage a few of our sites, and most recently lead the design and coding for the new MU Web site.