The entire University of Bath website is being re-developed by Web Services. Our aim is to create a stronger visual identity whilst allowing for greater flexibility.
Why do the new pages look so different and why isn’t the whole site being launched all at once?
The website has more than 200,000 pages across 376+ sub-sites. With so many sites to work on, the first would be out of date long before we’d finished. By releasing sites as they’re developed we can get fresh content out to users and get valuable feedback. We can then use this information as we address other sites. We can also work with those responsible for content on the sites to ensure we eliminate duplication and make information more user-centric.
What else is changing?
We are also looking to vastly enhance the functionality. We have just launched our new homepage and have already replaced our study website, research website and news system, developed an eProspectus and created a new area for current students. We are working more closely with user groups to identify the tasks they wish to perform on the site and looking to implement these (where possible).
How long before the whole site is ready?
It is impossible to forecast because of the scale of the work. However we will always announce what we’re working on next. We’re currently working on the International, Business and About websites.
Play was launched on 28 August 2009; inPictures followed on 14 September and research was launched on 20 November. Other additions have been our ceremonies and induction sites and a new site for the Department of Computer Science.
What are the key changes
- User-centric: we are developing the site to reflect user needs rather than the university structure.
- Visual: a vibrant campus lifestyle and world-class research. We are working to create a richer, more visual site to reflect our key strengths.
- Accurate and current: using our CMS, the site is being built using only regularly maintained or new content. This will ensure our users find the right information more quickly and easily.
Want to know more?
Keep reading this blog or our (internal) news releases:
- 16 September 2008 – New website planned for the University
- 19 March 2009 – Making the news
- 16 July 2009 – New Research website beta launched
- 14 September 2009 – Explore life at the University in pictures
- 26 November 2009 – New website: promoting our research
- 14 March 2011 – Sneak a peek at our new external homepage
Feedback
We generally launch areas of our site for beta testing internally, but if you’d like to give feedback on any of these developments email us. Feedback is incredibly valuable, so please don’t hesitate to tell us what you think.
