June 2007 Archives

I often joke around that my job here at MU Web Communications is just to make things pretty. It’s somewhat true, but that’s only part of the job. There’s a lot more going on with a Web site design than pixels on a screen, so I thought I’d share my design process.

Here at Web Communications, the design process isn’t started until after the goals of the site have been established, a content inventory has been finished and a wireframe layout has been put together. Depending on the complexity of the site, some usability testing may also be completed with the wireframes before I start.

What is the best way to align form labels with their corresponding fields (top, right or left)? What about form field length and required/optional fields? How do I reduce the risk of users making mistakes when completing a Web form?

If you've ever asked any of these questions, you'll definitely need to check out Luke Wroblewski's blog post about best practices for Web form design. He does a great job of offering some practical tips that are grounded in research.

Recently, I was updating the 18 Reasons feature on our Admissions site. This is always such a fun part of my job and affirms how great it is to be working in higher education. I’m finding out about new and exciting things students are doing all the time to further their education and expand their minds.

For example, I loved talking to one of our undergraduate students who studies dust shells around stars. How cool is that? Not only to be studying something so interesting but to be doing it as an undergraduate.

Some of the most popular features on our Admissions site are our profiles. While prospective students are of course interested in entrance requirements, tuition and housing, learning about current students and faculty gives them so much more insight into the University and the opportunities here, and helps them get to know us a little bit better.