by KirstiAnn Clifford and Pep Valdes
A multi-faceted project more than a year in development is now making its debut across UTMB. The Internet Technology Committee is leading the project, informally called the “2015 Web Reboot,” which consists of revamped tools, resources, training and policies designed to elevate and enhance UTMB’s Internet presence.
The ITC presented the Web Reboot project on May 12 in Levin Hall to staff, faculty and anyone with an interest in Internet technology or development. Committee members Mike King (Information Services) and Pep Valdes (Marketing and Communications) outlined the plan, which has been endorsed by the university’s executive leadership.
“The UTMB website is often the first thing our customers see, whether they are patients, students, research colleagues, donors, job candidates, fellow employees, or any of the many others we serve. If we don’t provide a ‘Wow!’ experience from the start, we’ve lost an important opportunity to make a great first impression,” said Steve Campbell, UTMB’s vice president for Marketing and Communications. “Change is the norm. Technology and consumer expectations are always raising the bar for Web developers and organizations. To excel, we need to be among the frontrunners and innovators.”
At the heart of the project is an approach that emphasizes collaboration, coordination and shared governance to introduce new efficiencies to the institution’s Web development teams, and a uniformly high-quality experience for the users of the UTMB’s websites.
The 2015 Web Reboot includes:
- A simple yet sophisticated Web content management system. This tool will serve as the core of future Web hosting and publishing at UTMB and will allow casual users to easily manage Web content.
- Responsive Web templates to allow access and operation of UTMB websites from phones, tablets, TVs, desktops and more.
- Link and spelling validation. A quality assurance tool that will scan UTMB’s public facing websites to find broken links, misspelled words and accessibility issues.
- Site inventory. This web-based application helps catalog the university’s Web assets, including internal and external websites, social media sites, blogs, domains and more.
- A digital image and asset library. This tool helps maintain brand identity, enhances the visual appearance of our institutional websites and provides a robust online source of approved images.
- New guidelines and page requirements. Use of outdated or inappropriate logos will be eradicated; all websites must be properly branded by Dec. 31, and branded templates are built into the new content system.
- Social media changes that will formalize UTMB’s institutional social media program and will create better standards and policies governing use.
- Training and tutorials to offer tips, updates, technology news and opportunities to collaborate with UTMB Web developers.
Communication about the Web Reboot will take place throughout 2015, with the implementation of many of the key tools, templates and guidelines under way by December. Ongoing meetings will target Web designers, developers and programmers and will provide the opportunity to test tools and ask specific questions.
“The goal is really to be best-in-class, to leverage the talents of a lot of good people and provide them with great Web tools and resources to exceed the expectations of all our customers,” said Todd Leach, UTMB’s chief information officer. “We already do some amazing things with technology on our campuses. I’m excited to see and share the results of these projects and am grateful to the teams behind the work.”
If you would like more information, to provide input, or to view a video of the May 12 meeting outlining the Web Reboot project, click here.
The Internet Technology Committee
The ITC was created in 2012 and is charged with providing guidance on Internet policies, evaluating tools and resources, and supporting collaboration across mission areas.
The ITC includes representatives from the Health System, Provost’s Office and the four schools, and institutional support areas including Business & Finance, Information Services and Marketing and Communications.
