Target groups and content structure
To help users to find their way around the website easily, it is important that navigation is consistent. Place content where it belongs and follow the guidelines for modules and decorations.
Think target group - put the content in the right place
It should be easy to find the information you are interested in on Uppsala University’s website without having to know anything about how we are organised. For this reason, the website is structured around three main gateways aimed at our most important target groups:
- The external website is aimed at prospective students, but also decision-makers and funding bodies, the media, alumni, the scientific community, potential partners and industry.
- The Student Gateway is aimed at existing students.
- The Staff Gateway is aimed at staff.
For each of these, there is a University-wide section for the target group as a whole, but also local sections for each of the three target group gateways. For example, a department has its own web pages on the external website aimed at external target groups, its own pages on the Student Gateway to reach its students and its own pages on the Staff Gateway to reach its staff. Faculties, disciplinary domains and campuses also have their own equivalent websites.
Do not duplicate - supplement and link instead
Remember not to duplicate information that already exists elsewhere on the university website. In addition, on the Staff Gateway and the Student Gateway, you can supplement information that is available in one of the places mentioned below on your local page (for example, department).
Guide to supplementing information
- Information that is for everyone can be found on the University-wide pages on each gateway.
- Information common to the departments/centres belonging to a discinplinary domain/faculty can be found on the domain and faculty pages.
- Each campus has its own pages on each of the three target group gateways containing information related to the campus.
- On the Staff Gateway, there are targeted gateways where the information is aimed at groups working in the same area, such as research, teaching, management and leadership.
- On the Staff Gateway and the Student Gateway, you can supplement information that is available in one of the places mentioned above with local information in a department, for example,by using smart linking (the function Komplettering av universitetsgemensam sida (Supplementing the University-wide page)).
Grouping information
Grouping your content in a clear and comprehensible manner will help users find their way around the web and get an overall sense of it. Think in categories. Information belonging to the same category and aimed at the same target group should be in the same place.
Local search
If necessary, you can add a search function to a page with many subpages to make it easier to find information there. For example, on the research page, if you have many research pages. The search box is placed in a prominent position at the top of the web page. IT support can help you set up search boxes.
Mirror a module that is on another page
Sometimes it can be relevant to display exactly the same content in several places to avoid having to update in several places. Most often, you want to mirror parts of the content on one page to another page. However, before doing so, it is important to ensure that the information is written in such a way that it works for both audiences. You can choose to mirror a module or layout that is on another page.
Guidelines for menus
- The name of the page displayed in the menu should be descriptive and as short as possible. Ideally, it should fit on one line.
- To be manageable, a menu should contain a maximum of seven options.