my.umich.edu partial integration of dynamic services with visual design

my.umich.edu

Partial Integration of Dynamic Services with Visual Design

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Agenda

Project orientation Demonstration Questions

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Project Orientation Topics

Background Design Features Benefits Next Steps Summary

Background

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U-M Gateway (www.umich.edu)

Traditional “static” web site– Text, images, links– Passive information delivery– “Publish once” model

Recognized as successful web project– 2nd among universities in July 2000

Making improvements to searching and links my.umich builds on Gateway project success

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my.umich – Phase 1

Intent– Provide powerful, extensible, low-cost framework for

web-based services

Audience selection by Provost and CIO Undergraduate students targeted

– Current students first– Prospective students next– Expanded audiences will follow

Design

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Requirements

Studies– User roles and tasks identified– Benchmark studies for portals, services

Student Input – Services selected in response to student surveys– Student portal use research conducted– Pre-release usability testing in progress– Ongoing student input planned

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Web Technologies Selected

Portal Web site– Personalized, customized Web space– Dynamic information delivery– Suite of service packages

WebObjects development tool selected– Powerful, modular applications– Useable with unmodified, secure browsers– Built-in access to most database products

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Not Static Web Site

Create framework to deliver many types of dynamic information

Anticipate rapid expansion of services Enable easy, flexible organization of selected

services Keep users and user tasks at the center of

design

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Personalized

You’ll be remembered! You’ll find things the way you left them.– But your privacy will be protected.

Depending on your role(s) within the university, some services will be available, other won’t.

Appropriate information can be directed to you.

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Customizable

Easy defaults provided Create additional pages to meet your needs. Arrange, label your pages as you wish. Add or remove services to suit your interests. Choose services, information you want to use.

– List of Services always available for selections.

Your settings will be saved.

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Non-Customizable Areas

University bulletins and announcements Institutional “message” themes

– Making History– Many targeted themes possible

Departmental bulletins and announcements– Targeted by role(s)– Integrated into individual services

Features

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Initial Service Offerings

University bulletins & announcements News headlines & summaries Classifieds Portable personal bookmarks Web-based BCP IMAP e-mail Campus on-line directory lookup

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Initial Services …

Personal Information Manager– Personal calendar– Personal course schedule– To do list– Address book (may be by October)

Help Feedback

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Limitations of Initial Release

Audience– Focused on students

Access– Open to everyone with

uniqname, rights to U-M Basic Computing Package

Services– Some with limited features

Personalization– No targeted information

delivery

Customization– No additional customized

pages beyond front page

Graphic design– No options to change look

Benefits

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U-M Participants

Designed to supplement, not replace other Web environments

Provide personal web-based services– Personalized, appealing to users– Appropriate to user needs by role(s)– Customized starting point for institutional

information, community building

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U-M Service Providers

Provide targeted service environment– Draws your users back to your services– Enables communication to specific groups

Lowers barriers to being service provider– Allows greater focus on content and services– No requirement to create in WebObjects but can use

extensible framework

Potential development of sharable resources– Coordinated system of data access between units

Next Steps

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my.umich Partnerships

U-M Libraries– Working to integrate library services with my.umich

CIC, ResComp– Events calendar(s) integration into my.umich PIM– WebObjects data entry forms

Many others have expressed interest Explore service provider partnerships

– Contact Linda Place (lmp@umich.edu)

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Timeline

Now through late August– Integration completion– Code debugging– Usability testing with students– Help documentation & support training

August 28– Target public release date

January– New services added

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Communications

Project information on Web– www.cio.umich.edu/office/ (link)– www.umich.edu/~myumich/

Questions about project– my.umich.questions@umich.edu

Announcement email list (joinable)– my.umich.announce@umich.edu

Summary

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my.umich Integrated Service Environment

Web-based access to valued tools and information

Access rights defined by role(s) User-centered environment design Dynamic information delivery from diverse data

sources Services delivered in common framework

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Project Overview Highlights

Creating new, useful, innovative web environment for students

Dynamic, not static web site Supplement to, not replacement for other

campus web environments Opportunity for community building

Demonstration