The Website Management Center of Expertise and The Web Implementations Guidelines Group
Who are we and what can we do for you?
The Website Management Center of Expertise (WCoE) and The Web Implementation Guidelines Group (WIGG) have collaborated to facilitate and promote consistent website design templates for the university.
We’ll be talking about:
- how this collaboration came about
- how it has been successful
- what lessons you can learn from our experience
- what’s on the horizon and
- how you can become a part of our work.
Campus Experts: The Web Implementations Guidelines Group
The Website Implementation Guidelines Group leverages expertise across campus from communications, marketing, and technical teams.
We work to create a consistent user experience for university websites.
Goals
- Focus on creating and encouraging cross-campus communities of practice
- Establish best practices for branding and technical implemention of public-facing websites
- Communicate these best practices to the university community at large
- Create website components and Illinois-branded themes
- Maintain a common codebase and public code repository available to the university community
The WIGG Toolkit includes:
- Drupal Illinois Theme
- WordPress Illinois theme
- Prebuilt components that are platform-agnostic
How did we get here?
- In 2019, a committee was brought together by the CMO to address a question from our Chancellor about our inconsistent web environment
- 2020 small group started to meet to discuss “How” we could align our websites and leverage tools. We created WIGG. We used our campus networks to gather leaders across campus, designers, developers, and other experts.
- By 2021 we were presenting our solutions for tested navigation, design elements and layouts, and implementing them in campus website solutions like publish.illinois.edu (PIE), cPanel, Drupal, and other systems on campus.
- Fast-forward to 2024 and the Offices of the CIO and StratCom have fully embraced this work, leveraged it when developing a new campus branding strategy, and created the much needed Web Center of Expertise.
- What’s next?
- Ensuring we are able to continue leading in creating solutions to meet the Chancellor’s 2026 deadline for all units to adopt the new branding.
WIGG Teams
- WordPress team: Getting IL WordPress theme current with components
- .NET team: Creating components (platform agnostic) for campuswide use
- Component team: Working with CMS and .Net team to develop and release components.
- Drupal Team: Getting IL Drupal theme current with components
- Design team: Designing and prototyping components per Web CoE and Steering Committee request.
- Product Review and Testing: Testing accessibility and functionality of designed components.
- Steering committee: Maintaining component request form and WIGG website updates.
Team Leads:- Laura Hayden, Grainger Engineering (WIGG Chair)
- Joseph Brumleve, Office of Vice Chancellor of Inst. Advancement (Design)
- Courtney Fleeger, College of Education (Design)
- Bryan Jonker, College of Education (Components)
- Gabe Przygoda, Tech Services (WordPress)
- Tyler Rubach, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (Drupal)
- Liz Shallenberger, UX Design Specialist, Tech Services (WCoE Liaison)
- Robert Slater, Tech Services (WordPress)
- Cordelia Geiken, WCOE Program Director, Office of the CIO (ex-officio)
Powerhouse Workflow
Spin Cycle of:
- Identify campus need
- Design, iterate, prototype
- Test accessibility and functionality
- Product review
- Development, implementation, and documentation
- Output to Github and Toolkit
- Communication, CMS distribution
- Collect feedback and make updates
Get Involved! Do it!
- Use it
- Share how you are using our tools (Showcase channel)
- Give us feedback as you work with the tools
- Testing
- Find out where we can improve
- Programming
- Creation of components
- Streamline installation process
- Documentation
- We need people to help explain and update how to use what we have
Website Management Center of Expertise
The Website Management Center of Expertise connects people, processes, and technology. We help university departments create, host, and maintain websites. Our team leverages the work of a collaboration of university experts to ensure on-brand, secure, and accessible website implementations.
Operational Excellence
The Web CoE is part of the universitywide Operational Excellence initiative. This initiative innovates and improves university services and processes.
Our program is tasked jointly by the chief information officer and the associate chancellor of strategic communications and marketing.
Structure of the Web CoE
Structure of the Web CoE
- Website Management Center of Expertise Program
Many units at the university provide services, tools and other resources invaluable to the support and creation of college- and department-level websites: from web hosting and consulting services, to hosted Illinois-branded assets and themes, to website accessibility evaluation.
The Web CoE combines these resources under one overarching umbrella, increasing awareness of and amplifying the value and benefits of each alone. The Web CoE, in conjunction with the IT Enterprise Service Management Office, ensures that web management-based service offerings are consistent with university standards for a better customer experience.
- Service & Resource Providers
- Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Website Management Consulting
- StratCom
- Administrative Information Technology Services
- Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Communities of Practice
- .Net Developers Affinity Group
- IT Accessibility Liaison Program
- UX Lunch Club
- Website Implementation Guidelines Group
- Website Management Advisory Group
The Website Management Advisory Group supports and makes recommendations for the Universitywide use of the Web CoE Program to ensure appropriate guidance and alignment with strategic goals such as user experience and operational efficiency in branding, security, privacy and accessibility.
- Campus Center of Expertise
- Generative AI Solutions Hub
- IT Enterprise Service Management Office
- IT Operational Excellence Executive Sponsors
- Chief Information Officer
- Associate Chancellor of Strategic Communications and Marketing
Program Goals
These goals support establishing and providing university websites while ensuring high standards of website accessibility, data privacy, cybersecurity, and branding.
- Provide collective web knowledge and expertise
- Define best web practices
- Elevate existing university web resources
- Identify needed web resources
- Create efficient web processes
The Web CoE relies on the collaboration of a diverse pool of subject matter experts and university service providers. It is led by the program director and informed by the groups outlined next.
Service, Tool and Resource Providers
Many units at the university provide services, tools, and other resources invaluable to the support and creation of college- and department-level websites, including:
- Web hosting and consulting services
- Hosted brand assets and themes
- Communities of practice that focus on specialized areas such as accessibility and user interface design
The Web CoE combines university resources under one overarching umbrella to increase awareness of and amplify the value and benefits of each alone. Campus resources
Success Stories
Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC)
- WordPress site hosted in Tech Services cPanel service offering
- Website developed by former employee and graduate student
- Needed to identify IT staff support moving forward (backups, security updates)
- WCoE had already engaged Tech Services Field Consulting about IT staff support for hosted web sites
- Identified common IT tasks needed by cPanel and Publish at Illinois service offering
- Confirmed Field Consulting could address
- Facilitated Meeting between SEDAC and Field Consulting
- SEDAC approved funding and moving forward with engagement
Web CoE Pilot Program
The Web CoE is facilitating the Tech Services Consulting Service’s work with four early adopter clients in the proof-of-concept phase to define our processes, tools, and strategies.
Early adopters
College of Applied Health Sciences
Scope: Migration of four websites from Drupal to IL Theme for WordPress instance on cPanel.
- The College of Applied Health Sciences
- Speech and Hearing Science
- Health and Kinesiology
- Recreation, Sport and Tourism
Process
- Content audit
- Site migration to dev site using migration tool
- Information architecture tested and approved
- Launch deadline extended to May 2025 to launch all four sites simultaneously.
Costs incurred with external vendor:
- Some content analysis, inventory, interviews, and research: $50,000
College of Media
Process
- Content audit
- Site migration to dev site using migration tool
- Information architecture tested and approved
- Planned launch, January 2025
Scope: Migration from vendor Drupal site to IL Theme for WordPress instance on cPanel.
Costs incurred from external vendor:
- FY18, website redesign = $25,000
School of Social Work
Scope: Migration from a complex vendor site to IL Theme for WordPress instance on cPanel.
Process
- Content audit
- Site migration to dev site. Additional scripting was required due to proprietary vendor code.
- Information architecture is being tested
- Planned launch, January 2025
Costs incurred with external vendor:
- FY20 = $17,055
- FY21 = $14,023
- FY22 = $24,500
- FY23 = $23,580
- FY24 = $3,060
College of Law
Scope: Migration from an outdated WordPress site to IL Theme for WordPress instance on cPanel.
Status: The content has been migrated. We have been working with the client to add functionality, solidify information architecture, and ensure content displays correctly. The client engagement has been signed. We are also preparing the client team for WordPress training.
Law course page displays have been implemented, and additional design refinements are underway. Faculty profile displays are also being redesigned to be more Illinois Theme compliant.
Costs incurred from external vendor:
- Website = $18,800
- User testing = $3,200
- Identity Guide = $880
- Webtools Skins = $2,400
- Analytics Consultation = no more than $800
Process
- Content audit
- Site migration to dev site. Additional scripting was required due to proprietary vendor code.
- Information architecture is being tested
- Planned launch, January 2025
Costs incurred with external vendor: