from bad to worse to nearly perfect: making large scale ia changes to a live site

From Bad to Worse to Nearly Perfect:

Making large-scale IA changes to a live site

Zoe Barker Jacobs (@DePaulWebComm) Kelsey Peters (@keapeter)

Objective• Combine Academics and Departments• Remove redundant content• Share degree information exclusively from the Catalog • Create a new user journey to the combined content

IA Planning• Content audit• Card sort• Outliers

New IAACADEMICS• Majors & Degrees (pathway page)• Departments (pathway page)

• Department name• About• Undergraduate• Combined bachelor’s/master’s• Graduate• Class Search• Faculty• Student Resources

The Team

WebCom Implementation

Team

InformationServices (IS)

Site Owners Site Editors

To Do• Update request info forms• Update vanity URLs and internal search results• Clean up any broken links that were missed within LAS• Notify other DePaul site owners about broken links in

their sites• 1-to-1 program offerings on the grid with what’s in the

catalog• Give editors OK to resume editing

URL StructureOld URL: las.depaul.edu/departments/writing-rhetoric-and-discourse

New URL: las.depaul.edu/academics/writing-rhetoric-and-discourse

Face-to-face Communication• Explain what we did and why• Clear up misconceptions on who “owns” what• Answer questions about where to turn for assistance• Reinforce the marketing message

Outcome of the IA Change• Enhanced user experience• Better analytics• Stronger relationships• Less duplicate content

What We Learned• Have the appropriate resources• Overcommunicate!• Keep time editors are locked out of site to a minimum• Work behind the scenes, if possible• You’re at the mercy of Google• Don’t forget to check the institutional calendar

People TechnologyContent

Prep Questions

- Who is the audience?- What’s your goal? What’s your user’s goal?- What does the data say users are trying to find?- Is there duplicate content?- What are the content outliers?- Does any new content need to be developed?- Does the timing of the implementation affect the content?- What is the ideal IA?- Are you avoiding domain-specific labels?- Can the proposed IA be recreated across the enterprise?- Are there any legal ramifications?- Will the content be unavailable at any time?- Is there data or content that needs to be captured before work begins?- What communications need to be developed?- Does presentation content need to be developed?

Content

- Who from your team is involved?- Who can help? Who is a resource/partner?- Who needs to approve the new IA?- Who decides when the change is implemented?- Who is affected?- Who should be notified?- Who should do the notifying?- Who will develop the communications plan?- Who is on the front line? Who is the contact person for questions?- Who will develop and host trainings/Q&As?

People

- What tech tools are necessary?- Is any development required?- Are special permissions required?- Will we create new pages or move the original pages?- Will any plug-ins or widgets be affected?- Will workflow be disrupted?- Do all pages need to be republished once moved?- Can we force redirects? How? What’s that process?- How will vanity/shortened URLs be affected?- How will internal search be affected?- How is SEO affected?- Is there a practice environment available? How can I access it?

Technology

Images: The Wizard of Oz (1939), Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Zoe Barker Jacobszoe.barker.jacobs@depaul.edu@DePaulWebComm

Kelsey Peterskelsey.peters@depaul.edu@keapeter