Seminar 08P - Getting the Cobwebs Out of Your IT Website: A Customer-Centered Approach to Website Design

This hands-on seminar will teach you key principles to help you successfully analyze, design, and maintain your IT website. Is your website an old, stale organizational chart? Through hands-on activities, this workshop will help you see things from the perspective of your customers and provide you with practical design and message tips make your website shine.

Specifically, you'll learn (1) how to analyze your website with a hands-on exercise designed to get you started, (2) how to read your audience, and (3) how to play the role of a customer visiting a website. You'll also learn about key design and layout principles, as well as message design and marketing strategies for your website. You'll discover strategies for distributed website management and review possible content management tools.

This seminar will also look at some key findings from The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology and other studies for application to IT websites.

Note: Feel free to bring a laptop with wireless connectivity and a web browser to participate in the hands-on website evaluation exercise; however a laptop is not required. You will be divided Into small groups.