 
|
IS Launches First Phase of Its Redesigned Web Site
Robyn Fizz and Susan Curran
Information Systems has launched the first phase of its redesigned web site. The site has been given a fresh look and reorganized to help you get quickly to the information you need.
New Site Features
The site now provides several ways to explore IS products and services:
- A search box on every page
- Quick links to some of the most commonly requested services
- Comprehensive "Getting Started" guides on key topics
- Quick access to help desks, consultants, or FAQs through "Getting Help"
- A full index of IS services, organized both by topic and alphabetically.
The "Getting Services" section is the heart of the new site, a gateway to information about hundreds of IS products and services. Information is organized into 18 main topics, ranging from administrative computing to web publishing. For the first time, a comprehensive alphabetical index lists all IS services from A to Z.
Software information has also been updated. You can now view a single summary page for each IS-supported Windows and Macintosh application. Version information, presented consistently, includes an overview and system requirements, along with links to MIT downloads and documentation. Software information for Athena has also been updated into the new look.
Several features on the site's home page help keep you in the know: a spotlight on IS services, a tip of the week, changing news headlines, and a link to services status (3-DOWN).
Accessibility
The IS Web Team worked closely with the ATIC Lab (Adaptive Technology
for Information and Computing) to ensure that people who rely on adaptive
technologies would be able to use the site with ease. It's fully accessible
to people who don't use a mouse, including those who use screen readers.
The site's access keys enable users to move from page to page and within
a page using the keyboard. The site also follows W3C and section 508 guidelines
for font size and color. To learn more about ac- cess keys and accessibility
features, see http://web.mit.edu/is/accessibility.html
A Phased Approach
This launch is just the start of an extensive page migration effort. In
phase one, the IS Web Team focused on revamping the site architecture,
developing the new look and feel, and creating templates, as well as moving
over 300 pages of product and service information into the new design.
Since the IS web site has grown to be thousands of pages, the team will
migrate many more pages from the old look to the new one in phase two.
The team will also explore database and content management options.
Your Comments Welcome
Since the goal of the new site is to serve you better, IS encourages your
comments. To send feedback, go to
http://web.mit.edu/is/contact.html
