Collaborate, create, curate, and cut the crap

Elements: the Web Conference at Penn StateJune 13, 2016

Heather RussellLisa Richards

with Tyler Poole

The Tiny Team

We are part of a campus administrative unit that supports and guides the New York State extension system.

Heather Russell - Tech Lisa Richards - Content

Tyler Poole – Design (1/2 time, contract)

A partnership between federal, state, and county governments, Cornell University and the citizens of New

York State

What is Cornell Cooperative Extension ?

Informal education systemPresence in every corner of New York State

Programs are research-based & community driven

Defined as subordinate governmental agencies organized under a form of operation approved by Cornell University as agent for the state

Where we areOver 50 county offices plus the 5 boroughs of NYC operate

independently

We (administration) are the nearly-invisible hub in the middle…

…and our job is to showcase the extension programming and activity around the state and on campus

Let’s Talk Web

Content- Decentralized- Inconsistent- LOTS of it, not

always in an easy format for web

Tech- SharePoint (ugh)

Design- No design

expertise on staff

- Design by committee

Process- Just us- We’re also doing

everything else- Support, but very

little interest from management *

* We need to have a site. The site needs to say the right things (what are those?). The site needs to not be broken or embarrassing. Oh, and by the way can you add this random link/resource/PDF to a page I pay attention to?

CCE Website2009

CCE Website2015

• Everyone wanted their important thing on the home page

• Add Twitter – so content seems updated• Not responsive, looked awful on phone• Not accessible, never was a consideration• 190 pages• No direction – lots of random content• No people listed, anywhere• Old site was web transition from print• Who makes updates? Only Lisa.• Internal content• Too much content, old content• No focus – why do we have a site?• No audience specified• Too many words (academic speak)• …

Web Environment at Cornell

• Decentralized• Drupal• Cornell redesign• Outreach

highlighted• New web

insignia

We Need a Redesign

Our challenge

• Define the purpose of the public website• Agree on our audience• Understand who we are – nobody• Align new content structure to something concrete• Cut the crap – hundreds of outdated pages, old fact

sheets (PDFs), very disorganized • Make visually appealing, accessible, responsive

Who is our audience? (We asked. We got a lot of answers.)

Faculty membersDeansElected officialsStaff (campus and county)EducatorsProspective donorsAssociation boards of directorsVolunteersStudentsProgram participantsJob seekers

What do they have in common?

• They are all just regular people• Who need and want easily digestible, web-friendly

content

Who needs to approve?

Do we need to design by committee again?

What content can we provide?• County associations provide program content on

their sites• Best way to define CCE? 5 Program Areas• No programmatic content (CCE Admin = invisible)• Stories, events – from counties• People• Direct out to county sites whenever possible

How to bring in content

CURATE.

Drupal : Information Architecture

Design

CCE Website2015

Success!

Future• Web is ever-changing• Site changes are never-ending• Better positioned to make changes – – Bigger team– More respect– Accepted technology– Cornell links to site, profile is raised

Takeaways• Figure out who your audience is – why are we doing

this?

• Know what your content is – remember you’re the expert

• Learn your environment, find a few key supporters and take initiative

QUESTIONS?Heather Russell – hlm2@cornell.edu

Lisa Richards – lisa.richards@cornell.eduTyler Poole – tjp58@cornell.edu

http://cce.cornell.edu@ccecornell