ILR Web Development News David DeMello Director of Web Development Wednesday, January 28, 2009 www.ilr.cornell.edu

Overview Brief review of current and upcoming projects Video eCommerce support eMarketing support Explanation of web group’s ongoing adoption of Agile development methodologies Audience research and mental modeling to facilitate user experience design

Brief review of current and upcoming projects

Video

eCommerce support

eMarketing support

Explanation of web group’s ongoing adoption of Agile development methodologies

Audience research and mental modeling to facilitate user experience design

Video Distribution New Media Center http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/media Currently a hand-built index of publicly available video, mostly served from ILR web site. Will grow in volume and features as more video is produced.

New Media Center

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/media

Currently a hand-built index of publicly available video, mostly served from ILR web site.

Will grow in volume and features as more video is produced.

Video Distribution – future options More deliberate participation in CornellCast, either in addition to or instead of our own internal system. Continued development of our own distribution system, with more control over customization and focus. Leverage the exposure of YouTube, as Cornell has begun to do. Continuously integrate video generation channels into our distribution strategies (e.g., webcasts, video instruction, public relations, news, etc.)

More deliberate participation in CornellCast, either in addition to or instead of our own internal system.

Continued development of our own distribution system, with more control over customization and focus.

Leverage the exposure of YouTube, as Cornell has begun to do.

Continuously integrate video generation channels into our distribution strategies (e.g., webcasts, video instruction, public relations, news, etc.)

eCommerce Plan Comprehensive review and inventory of all of ILR’s eCommerce needs. Revise current shopping cart to improve usability, consistency, security, reliability, and scalability. Support both fee-based and free transactions. Consistent customer interaction and user experience. Uniform campaign and conversion tracking. Decoupled from any particular programmatic philosophies or constraints.

Comprehensive review and inventory of all of ILR’s eCommerce needs.

Revise current shopping cart to improve usability, consistency, security, reliability, and scalability.

Support both fee-based and free transactions.

Consistent customer interaction and user experience.

Uniform campaign and conversion tracking.

Decoupled from any particular programmatic philosophies or constraints.

Support for eMarketing Efforts Web-based templates to support web counterparts to print and email campaigns. Use of target URLs to capture response to specific campaigns and carry through to final purchase for better conversion tracking. Improved reporting on what users are searching for tailored search results pages with “best guesses” Continued challenge of balancing school-wide marketing focus with program-specific assumptions.

Web-based templates to support web counterparts to print and email campaigns.

Use of target URLs to capture response to specific campaigns and carry through to final purchase for better conversion tracking.

Improved reporting on what users are searching for tailored search results pages with “best guesses”

Continued challenge of balancing school-wide marketing focus with program-specific assumptions.

ILR Web Team Adopts Agile We’ve recognized Agile was probably a good fit for a while, but had trouble adopting it for various reasons, including inappropriate team make-up and lack of coaching. In late November ’08 we attended training and met with CIT coaches and planned our adoption. We are now in the middle of our third cycle, or “Sprint.”

We’ve recognized Agile was probably a good fit for a while, but had trouble adopting it for various reasons, including inappropriate team make-up and lack of coaching.

In late November ’08 we attended training and met with CIT coaches and planned our adoption.

We are now in the middle of our third cycle, or “Sprint.”

User Experience Design After a long vacancy, we finally filled this role in our team last Fall. Have been focusing efforts on better defining Audience, reassessing their needs, auditing our site for success and failure, and developing a mental model of user behaviors and our supporting activities. This model focuses our work, but is also a powerful tool for communication and collaboration within the school as we document what services we design and support.

After a long vacancy, we finally filled this role in our team last Fall.

Have been focusing efforts on better defining Audience, reassessing their needs, auditing our site for success and failure, and developing a mental model of user behaviors and our supporting activities.

This model focuses our work, but is also a powerful tool for communication and collaboration within the school as we document what services we design and support.

David DeMello [email_address] Cornell University ILR School 620 Ives Hall Ithaca, New York 14853 t. 607.255.2717 [email_address] www.ilr.cornell.edu This presentation available on-line at http://www.slideshare.net/daviddemello/extension-leadership-meeting-web-report-2009-01-28-presentation