Web Site Homepage Redesign 2009/2010

Timeline Progression

Span of 2008 - 2009: 

  • 40,000+ web pages were reviewed and redeveloped and over 120 site content managers were trained to use the new WCMS system
  • All tier 1 domains using the university branding and the standard template, including all colleges, academic departments, IT, Facilities, and Webservices were reviewed and ported to the WCMS
  • Each of the 85 individual websites within the http://www.fit.edu/ domain was reviewed, revised, and redeveloped for use in the new WCMS

June 2009:

  • Three (3) prototypes were developed as prospective designs for the new Florida Tech homepage
  • Prototype 1: http://web-demos.fit.edu/redesign/prototypes/1/ 
  • Prototype 2: http://web-demos.fit.edu/redesign/prototypes/2/
  • Prototype 3: http://web-demos.fit.edu/redesign/prototypes/3/

September 2009:

  • The final sites from thw http://www.fit.edu/ domain were ported to the WCMS
  • The new newsroom management tools were released

October 2009:

  • SGA supported the Web Services team by conducted a survey regarding the current web site and gathered student feedback regarding the 3 options
  • University Marketing took our prototype out for review with the Dean's Counsel

November 2009:

  • Target feature list was expanded to include: 
    • inclusion of degree programs on the homepage
    • more robust search tools
    • more feature-rich content display options

December 2009:

  • All findings from past research, the student survey, and Dean's Counsel were aggregated and analyzed for commonalities in strengths and weakness of the new prototype
  • Version 2.0 prototype was selected for the base design and entered revision planning

January - April 2010

January 2010:

  • Prototype 2.0 was accepted for revision cycle
  • University Marketing conducted a limited number of focus group interviews to gather further insights from various target audiences
  • New features and recommendations were included in the revision cycle plans

February 2010:

  • Full EMS integration via API was added to list of actionable features
  • Version 2.1 is currently under development
  • Prototype 2.1 is scheduled for a second review on February 22
  • Preview Mode is recommended as a tool to assist during the live release
  • Web Team asks for release timetables

March 2010:

  • Prototype 2.4 chosen as final base design.
  • Revision cycle continues through April 2010
  • 5 iterations of the 2.4 prototype are developed before final version adopted and approved for live launch.

May - July 2010

Design application process begins with the release of the new homepage.
This stage continues until all sites using the official templates have been released.

May 10, 2010: 

  • New Homepage at www.fit.edu is released
  • Target Date of 6-16-2010 is set for the completion of the WWW domain

May 14, 2010:

May 28, 2010:

June 9, 2010:

  • http://www.fit.edu/osi/
  • http://www.fit.edu/researchpark
  • http://www.fit.edu/bst/
  • http://www.fit.edu/gcp/
  • http://www.fit.edu/pep/
  • http://www.fit.edu/ipd/
  • http://www.fit.edu/consulting/

June 11, 2010:

  • Preview mode is widely communicated to the clients and WCMS users
  • Requested for all stakeholders to conduct previews and provide feedback to Web Team

June 16, 2010:

  • Remainder of the www.fit.edu domain is released
  • Target date of 6/30/2010 is set for remaining domains
  • Communications to clients continues

June 30, 2010:

  • http://coa.fit.edu/
  • http://cob.fit.edu/
  • http://coe.fit.edu/
  • http://es.fit.edu/
  • http://facilities.fit.edu/
  • http://online.fit.edu/

July 2010:

Final requests for site edits and other adjustments from CPLA and COS are being gathered and reviewed.