September 2003

University launches new home page
As the novelty of the Internet has worn off, the home page at www.umt.edu has evolved from a side-project of computer nerds to a vital mainstream tool. So, after three years of service, the old UM home page is retiring in favor of a lighter, fresher, more practical site. The new site will replace the old site after an adjustment period.

The new site gives viewers a simple, yet comprehensive look at the University, offers UM news and events, and provides quick access to pages throughout the site.

Rick Hughes, Home Page Redesign Subcommittee chairman, said, "The primary task facing us in recreating the Web site was to design and build an infrastructure that met the needs of our large and diverse academic community, while creating an overall sense of place and purpose that reflected the spirit of The University of Montana."

Eight months and some 1,400 work hours later, the inaugural version of the new UM Web site was ready to go.

The center of the home page is dedicated to University feature stories, news headlines and current events. At the bottom of the page, you can meet the "Faces" of UM by reading casual interviews with various people around campus.

To access University sites and information, follow two main navigation paths: audience- or action-based. Answer the question "Who are you?" to choose audience navigation (e.g. "current student" or "faculty/staff"). Or, answer the question "What do you want to do?" for action navigation (e.g. "learn," "visit"). Both types of navigation will take you to landing pages that list relevant information and links, while a drop-down menu under the audience navigation provides shortcuts to popular UM destinations.

Other new home page elements include:

• "Discover UM" --for information about campus and community.
• "Tools" and "Resources" --customizable links to your favorite UM pages.
• a Google-powered search box.
• an improved A-Z index --regularly updated links to UM sites.
• academic and student directories.

The new site has been in the works since summer 2002, when the UM Web Development Committee decided to hire a staff to develop and maintain UM Web services.

Martha Burtis, UM director of Web development, said, "One of the main features we've focused on is breadth of navigation, as opposed to depth. Before, (users) had to drill down through the Web site. We've tried to make it take a lot fewer clicks to get where they're going."

Patia Stephens, a 2000 UM journalism graduate who now is UM Web content manager, explained the move: "After a long, dry spell with no funding for UM's Web site, people finally realized the need to invest in it, because of its incredible potential for reaching potential students and all of our various constituencies."

The Home Page Redesign Subcommittee started laying the foundation for the new site in October 2002. The members surveyed UM home page users to identify their primary needs, categorized types of users and their needs and analyzed other university Web sites to see what works for them and what could work well at UM.

The new, improved site will undergo an annual evaluation to see how well it is doing its job.

Hughes said, "After months of research, survey analysis and user testing, which was based upon an exceptionally well-organized project plan devised by Martha Burtis, and was characterized by open and honest dialogue between the committee members and the University community at large, construction of the site began.

"We put together a dynamic student redesign team," Hughes continued, "and their energy, creativity and collaborative abilities resulted in a truly impressive and first-rate Web site that will enable The University of Montana to move forward with a new and exciting Internet presence."

In the near future, improvements to the new site will include a better events calendar, currently in development. Minor updates to the site will occur throughout the school year, Burtis said, and major changes will be made during vacation periods.

Stephens said, "What we've accomplished so far has been on a very modest budget. With more time and money in the future, we hope to tackle other important projects."

University Relations | Cary Shimek, Editor
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2004 The University of Montana