On August 16, 2020, the new https://live-it-washu.pantheonsite.io website was published and made available to all. After being notified by Public Affairs that the current it.wustl site would need to be migrated to the new WordPress Gutenberg theme, members of the PPMO and IT Communications teams began working together to plan the new site.
Prior to development, both teams knew they wanted to take the time to reevaluate, reorganize, and reprioritize the content present on the current site in order to improve the efficiency and flow of the new site. A few of these planning improvements included removing extraneous information or outdated content, condensing multiple pages that covered the same topic, and adjusting menus and submenus to be more succinct and clearer to the average user. These improvements came together not only to increase the efficiency and appearance of the site, but also to ensure that all information available to users was updated an accurate.
Additionally, the new site boasts an improved internal search engine capable of finding specific pages of interest within the site, along with polished and updated aesthetics that align with WashU’s branding, making the new site both more practical and more visually appealing. Further, the site has also been reviewed and revised to ensure that all pages are ADA compliant to enhance accessibility.
Finally, after multiple internal site reviews and revisions, subject matter experts were given the opportunity to review and provide feedback on sections of the website relevant to their expertise. This review process ensured once again that all information was updated and accurate.
The new site holds the same address as the previous site, and became fully available in the afternoon of August 16th. WashU IT is thrilled to have a new, stronger site that serves its users even better than before.