This morning, the WDN design survey invitation delivery process began. This process involves sending a short email message to our target audiences (prospective students, faculty/staff, current students, alums, parents, extension, etc…) with a link to our online tool to gather responses. When all is said and done, around 90,000 audience members will have received an invitation to participate.

The survey consists of two major sections:

1. The first section is used to test the look and feel of three possible design candidates for the Fall 2009 redesign. It asks users to submit a rating based on a 2 second analysis. Then an opportunity to spend more time with each design and provide comments and qualitative data is available.
2. The second section is designed to gather a more generic internet usage blueprint. Questions are arranged based on experiences on unl.edu and experiences online in general. This is a survey we would like to administer on a regular basis and use the results to determine shifts in audience preferences over time.

Over the coming months, we will be sharing the analysis of both sections of the survey. This blog, upcoming WDN and WAG meetings will be used as avenues for dispersing these results.

This afternoon, I will be giving a introductory presentation/training opportunity on using Google Analytics. As you might recall, a few weeks ago I asked various groups to respond to a survey outlining their use of Google Analytics (if any) and to indicate areas where they would like more information. I have reviewed these responses and I am using them to put together today’s presentation.

If you are unable to make it to this afternoon’s presentation, feel free to download the slidedeck.

Though the presentation will focus on a some of the major features, hundreds of intermediate to advanced uses exist. If I don’t cover an area today, raise your hand and ask about it. Or leave a comment on this blog with a question. Or shoot me an email.

Helpful links from today’s presentation:

• Setting up Google Analytics Tracking
• Exclude Internal Traffic Filters
• Setup Local Search
• Track Links to Documents

Summary - Media Hub allows UNL web developers to create Podcasts and/or Vodcasts without editing XML, easily embed a flash player on their websites, and allow multiple users to manage the content on those feeds. To get started, log in at http://www1.unl.edu/mediahub/manager/ with your my.UNL Username and Password and add your media.

Here’s a sample feed created for the Nebraska Colloquium. 

Users can subscribe to the podcast feed and each piece of media has an individual page where UNL Faculty/Staff and Students can submit comments on the video. Additionally, developers and end-users can copy and paste the embed code so a video can easily be embedded on their own sites.

Once a feed is in the system, if you’d like it added to our iTunes U site just let me know.

Format guidelines:

Video: please use h264 encoding at 640×480 for standard definition and 640×360 for high definition.

Audio: use mp3 format for files under 32MB. More information is available in the wiki page on podcasting.

Thanks to Seth Meranda in University Communications and Todd Jensen, Tim Steiner, and Micah Sutton in the New Media Center.

If you’re interested in contributing to the project GForge is the place to start.

http://its-gforge.unl.edu/gf/project/unl_mediayak/

We are now at the stage of harvesting initial design candidates for consideration as the beginning of the visual refreshining. Two months ago, designers and developers were invited to mock up new a visual representation of the UNL template. Since that time, many designers have accepted the invitation and began crafting the initial stages of their proposed designs. Some of these designers have shared their first designs by posting online for critiques.

Tomorrow, during a 2:00 meeting in the Nebraska Union (in which everyone is welcome to attend), the Web Developer Network will review these design candidates. The purpose of this meeting is to not decide a final design, but rather review the multiple possible directions each designer has taken his/her design. Then like-minded users will be grouped together to extend and integrate their designs to produce one final rough draft candidate. In an ideal situation, only a few breakout groups will be created.

While the final design is still months away from completion, many elements and directions are starting to form. Large questions — such as horizontal v. vertical navigation, prominence of search box(es), functionality of calendar feeds, file organization — are being discussed. If you have any input on these considerations or others, please plan to attend these meetings or leave a comment on this below.

As outlined in the August 12 Web Developer Network meeting, the process for visual redesign/realignment of unl.edu has begun.

As we begin this process, many areas of the overall site template will be reevaluated. Therefore, this is the first opportunity for feedback.

Every web designer/developer is invited to participate in the process. Our next meeting will be in September and then again in October.