Web Help
Recommendations—Website Elements
The recommendations for required elements listed below aim to improve consistency in website navigation and content. There are six primary recommendations that include adoption of standard elements such as:
- a site-wide search function;
- a link back to the University and respective school homepages;
- a standard set of navigational subheadings;
- specific and consistent faculty/staff information;
- and easy‐to‐find contact information.
A list of web browsers and mobile devices that sites should be tested against for compatibility issues are also provided. It is recommended that sites be designed with mobile devices in mind.
1. Department Homepages
Each department homepage should feature the following elements:
- site‐wide search
- link back to the College, School of Arts and Sciences, or Hajim School of Engineering homepage
- link back to the University homepage
- approved University logo (see Creative Services)
2. Top‐level Navigation
Individual department websites should feature a top‐level* navigation scheme that is persistent throughout the site. Uniformity in menu titles is key to providing easy, consistent navigation for the wide range of users of our websites.
We recommend using the following menu titles:
- About Us
- People (includes faculty, staff, and students if applicable)
- Majors & Minors
- Graduate Programs
- Research
- News and Events
*Top‐level does not refer to the location of the navigation bar, but instead refers to striving for consistent and relevant navigation menu titles. Individual departments may have a need for additional menu items besides the ones listed above.
3. Faculty Pages
Every faculty member should have a departmental page within the People area of the department’s site. The faculty directory page should include:
- a current photo
- degrees earned
- current research area
- updated list of current research projects, papers, publications
- current or representative list of courses taught
- a downloadable CV (pdf)
Personal faculty websites should be a link on this page, not a substitute for the departmental faculty web page.
4. Contact Information
On the department homepage, a “Contact Us” area should be included with the mailing address and department phone number. If an email address is to be included, it should be a department email address, not an individual’s email address.
5. Web Browser and Device Support
All websites should be tested in the following browsers and devices:
- Internet Explorer 7+
- Firefox
- Safari
- Chrome
- Opera
- iPhone
- iPad
- Blackberry
- Android
6. Mobile Devices
As the portion of traffic to our websites from mobile devices increases, each department should have a plan for how their site functions in mobile devices. Sites should be tested in a variety of mobile devices to identify problem areas.
