UW-Superior Web Publishing Guidelines

Overview

University web pages are important tools for serving students, staff and the public. The UW-Superior Web Publishing Guidelines are a guide for designing web pages that are uniform, functional and accessible yet reasonably easy to create and maintain.

·        Administrative offices with pages defined as "official" or "managed pages" must follow the University Web Policy and use the designated web design and editing software when creating new pages or revising existing pages.
·        The University Technology Committee recommends academic departments, academic programs and individuals follow the University Website Design guidelines when creating or revising web pages. These guidelines will not in any way infringe upon the academic freedom of individuals, programs or departments at UW-Superior.
·        All departments, offices, programs and individuals must follow UW System and UW-Superior policies regarding technology accessibility and appropriate use of technology.

Purpose of university web pages

University web pages are educational and business tools that represent UW-Superior to current and prospective students and employees, and to the public in general. Pages should be functional and businesslike. Decoration, music and animation should be used only when necessary to fulfilling an office's mission.

Appropriate Use

Web page publishers must comply with all university rules, university policies, and state and federal laws concerning appropriate use of technology. For more information, see the university's Appropriate Use Guidelines.

Accessibility

UW System and UW-Superior policy require web pages to be accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments and those who have computers with slow modems or limited band-width. All university web pages must meet accessibility requirements set forth under the Technology Accessibility Policy. 

Personal Pages

UW-Superior cannot accept responsibility for information published on or accessible through personal homepages created by faculty and staff. Personal home pages must include a disclaimer on their first page stating: "The content of this page does not necessarily reflect the views of UW-Superior and is not officially endorsed by the university."

Outdated or unmaintained websites

Websites that are outdated or not maintained will be removed from the university website. Outdated or unmaintained websites will include, but are not limited to, those with: broken links; links to outdated publications, documents, calendars, regulations or staff lists; web or e-mail links to employees no longer working for the university; and programs, offices or departments that no longer exist. Before a page is removed from the university website, the University Webmaster will contact the director or chair of the department, office or program responsible for the website in an attempt to update the website. If no effort is made to update the website, it will be removed from the university website.

Websites may be restored to the university website once they are updated. For assistance in updating or removing pages, contact the University Webmaster.

Building your web page

Complying with University Website Design

Websites for administrative offices at UW-Superior must comply with the University Web Policy. 

Text documents linked to administrative pages, such as budgets, catalogs, handbooks, forms, meeting minutes, policies, news releases, tables, announcements and similar items, may appear as simple html, .doc, or pdf documents.

Keep your web site focused on its job

Web pages should provide information that users need. Avoid using links to unrelated sites, overly long text or extensive use of graphics, all of which can confuse users and make it difficult for them to find the information they need.

Maintain a professional appearance

Prospective students and off-campus users may judge UW-Superior based on the appearance of our website. Web pages and individual documents should be professional and businesslike in content and appearance. 

• Office pages should not include links unrelated to that office's mission. 
• Music should not be used on a web page unless it applies to the mission of that office (i.e. music links on a Music Department web page.)
• Icons and other images should be professional in appearance and not cause distraction. More than one or two animated icons on a page can distract readers and create an unprofessional appearance. Animated icons are discouraged because they cause increase load time and cause accessibility issues. For more information about animation and accessibility, refer to the online guide to technology  accessibility on the Computing and Media Services website.
• All text should refer to the university as the "University of Wisconsin-Superior" on first reference and as "UW-Superior" on subsequent references. Do not use UW-S or UWS, which can imply the UW System or other campuses in the System.

Fonts and Typography

Official university web pages use the Verdana font. Web pages also may use the Palatino or Times Roman fonts for body text and Palatino or Helvetica fonts for headlines. Select one font and use it consistently on your pages.

Avoid using text in color or in extremely large or small sizes. Use boldface, italic, script or all-capital text in small amounts only for special emphasis. Research shows that using large amounts of italic, boldface, script or all-capital text seriously reduces reader comprehension.

Research shows web users tend to scan text. To make your page more user friendly, keep text short. If longer text is necessary, break it up with frequent sub-heads.

Logos, icons and images

Web pages must conform to UW-Superior's Visual Identity System governing the use of the university logo and other official symbols. The Visual Identity System is available in print format from University Relations (ext. 8452) and online at http://www.uwsuper.edu/visystem/

• University logos suitable for use on web pages can be downloaded at http://www.uwsuper.edu/logos. 
• Specialized icons: Icons for My E-Hive Portal, Learn@UW-Superior and JacketMail may only be used as links to their respective sites. Any other use, such as decoration, is prohibited. The Yellowjacket Athletics logo can only be used with permission of the Athletic Department. Any other use is prohibited.
• The University Seal:  The seal of the University of Wisconsin-Superior is an official symbol of the university and is protected in its use. The seal may be used by the campus community for official awards and transcripts. It cannot be routinely used on websites.

Links to non-university web sites

UW-Superior web pages may include links to non-university websites. Links should be limited to those that meet the purposes of the university or serve student, staff, academic or public needs. UW-Superior is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. If a university website includes a link to a web page that is not on a UW-Superior computer server, that website should open as a new web browser window or in a whole window browser to make it clear that the user is leaving the UW-Superior website

Content of your website

What should be on the index page? 

The index page is the first page users encounter on your website. Your website may just need one page, or you may link to other pages and documents from your index page.

This information should be on your index page:
·        The name of the office, department or person.
·        The purpose of the office, department or person. Make this a short and clearly worded statement.
·        Building and room number of the office or department
·        Hours open or available
·        Contact information, including telephone number, e-mail address and postal address

What information should be on subsequent pages?

Put information that belongs together on the same page. To make user-friendly pages, have hyperlinks to other pages and bookmarks throughout your longer pages. 

Photos and graphics

If you choose to use photos or graphics, select those that help convey or clarify your information. Photos and graphics increase the load time of your page, so they should be used carefully and reduced in size.

To meet accessibility guidelines, you must add alternative text or representation for any photos or graphics you use.

Navigation

There should be a logical order to your web pages. People should be able to move around within your pages without difficulty.  Navigational bars, hyperlinks, bookmarks and home buttons are some of the ways you can help your readers get where they want to go.