Author: Lucy Roller
Lucy is a student employee with Technology Services.
On June 2, the Technology Services website was relaunched. This project was part of a larger effort to improve the Office of the Chief Information Officer’s digital presence by redesigning several of our websites. The goal of this initiative is to streamline information, maintain design consistency, and improve accessibility.
The Tech Services website was redesigned to remove redundant information and be more easily navigable. Tech Services serves a wide range of audiences, and the relaunch will help us not dilute its content.
The Office of the CIO’s brand consistency will also be improved by this relaunch, allowing users to quickly identify sites belonging to the Office of the CIO, and ensuring a similar experience across all of them. Rob Watson, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing and Chief Communications Officer for the Office of the CIO, spoke with us about this aspect of the relaunch. “It’s about enhancing the user experience by building a cohesive Office of the CIO web ecosystem,” he shared, “We’ve redesigned the (Tech Services) site with university students, faculty, and general staff in mind. We want their feedback if something isn’t easy to locate or they think something is missing.”
The relaunch is also part of an ongoing effort to improve the accessibility of all Office of the CIO websites. Tech Services is committed to providing an accessible experience for all users, adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium. The WCAG uses the POUR system as a guide, providing a framework to ensure that all online content is Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust for all users, regardless of ability. The updated website has a consistent design, accessible colors, clearly labeled buttons and links, and alt text for all images.
As the Office of the CIO’s Communication Coordinator, Lauren Stream, shared with us, “Accessibility has been top of mind when creating nearly every element on the website. We hope it will be easier for users from all walks of life and different skill levels to find the information they need.” Improving accessibility not only helps users with disabilities but often allows the site to be easier to operate for all users. The reorganization of our website will help to ensure that we can provide a quality, accessible experience to all.
What can users expect?
Overall, our website retains much of the user-helpful content and many of the same features. The major changes are focused on design, information architecture, and a single intentional audience. Users can expect an updated, streamlined layout that is easier to navigate. Outdated or redundant information, along with any details that do not serve our audience, have been removed, making the site less cluttered and easier to understand.
Another significant change is that the Cybersecurity website is being merged into the Tech Services site and will be sunset in the near future. All the relevant cybersecurity information for Illinois students and faculty will be located on the Tech Services site while any information meant specifically for technical professionals will be moved to the new IT pro site, which is being launched later this year.
Tech Services is here to assist you with all your technical needs. We hope that the relaunch allows you to better take advantage of the resources we provide. Updates to the Office of the CIO web ecosystem are a gradual process, and content will be moved over time. Some content may be unavailable for brief periods. For the first few months, redirects will be in place with any information that has been moved to ensure that it remains accessible. We’re doing our best to keep URLs the same so that links and bookmarks will still work.
If you have any issues with the website or any feedback, we encourage you to submit a help request to the Communications and Marketing Team.