Noelle Kreider's List: Web Design

• Cost-effective content administration and maintenance is also key. Having a content management system provides an administrative backbone to make district sites manageable and aff ordable.
• The judicious use of video, audio, photo slide shows, e-mail newsletter services, dynamic event calendars and other interactive tools is highly encouraged to establish a rich, real-time site visitor experience.
• “Having the most current information and a variety of communication tools on our site is essential for communicatingwith parents and the community,” says Lakota (Ohio) Local Schools SuperintendentMike Taylor. “Along with posting traditional news releases and newsletters, we also provide video, podcasts, e-mail notifications and text messaging.”

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• language transition tool that supports 34 different languages.
• Another important though often overlooked usability issue pertains to accommodating site visitors with disabilities, also known as Section 508 compliance.
• "School districts have a legal obligation to guarantee equal opportunities to people with disabilities in the physical world and on the Web," says Mark Gross, CEO and founder of School Loop.
• "Districts need to view physical, cultural, language and technological divides as barriers of their making, not as an unfortunate byproduct of a diverse society. If we call it a digital divide, it's their problem. If we call it an information divide, it's ours."
• Distinct, clearly labeled content sections that are useful to your constituents greatly enhance site efficiency and effectiveness.
• At its best, site content should be up-to-date and well-maintained.

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• Consistency and clarity are critical to a Web site’s look and feel.
• the site design should be well-organized, uncluttered and appealing to the widest audience. A visitor’s experience should be enhanced by continuity in layout,
• Intuitive and sensible navigation throughout a site is a key element for efficiency and effectiveness.
• Too many choices will overwhelm, and unnecessary redundancy will confuse.
• To aid visitors further in moving smoothly around the site, a breadcrumb trail (links that appear atop pages to indicate the path followed to get there, allowing a quick retrace of steps) is a helpful and worthy feature.
• District Web sites have a wide-ranging constituency to which to cater.
• Information should be compartmentalized and easy to find via efficient browsability and a high-performing search function.
• advanced search options that narrow and sort results by criteria (such as date and topic) are advisable.

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