On World Usability Day, what story does your website tell?

Websites are colleges' and departments' front doors to the rest of the world. They're your opportunity to tell your story to the widest audience possible. But what story does your website tell?

World Usability Day, celebrated this year on Nov. 12, is an opportunity to look at your website from the perspective of an outside visitor. Do you know who your primary audience is? Would your website's layout make sense to them? Will they be able to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily? Are you guiding them along a clear path through all of the services you offer?

Successful organizations are using this "User Centered Design" approach to rethink the way they deliver content and services on the web. If you are interested in rethinking your college or department's web presence, there are several resources available:

• Best practices for User Centered Design can be found at https://www.usability.gov/, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
• Web Communication Technologies (WebTech) at Western Washington University provides consultation and design services for University websites. Contact them at webhelp@wwu.edu.
• The WWU Cross Campus Web group provides in-person review and consultation of department websites. For more information about Cross Campus Web, contact Deborah.Frost@wwu.edu, Max.Bronsema@wwu.edu, or Chris.Miller@wwu.edu.