MIT CAES Web relaunch strategy

By Jay Collier — July 2000

Strategy

Overall objective

Inform, educate, entertain, and involve users (in that order).

Goals

• Represent the full spectrum of activities in the Center (breadth)
• Present the organizing theme behind the many things we do
• Focus on people and the expertise we provide
• Present projects and units as communities.
• Update information and activities in a timely fashion
• Showcase our work with samples of innovative technology
• Present the public face/space of the Center
• Usher visitors directly to projects and units
• Sell limited products on-line (commencement tapes, Deming)

Site theme

The people of CAES research, produce, distribute, and support technology- enhanced educational media products that inform and educate, thus helping our customers improve, enrich and enjoy their professional lives.

The site will not only present services and projects in an engaging fashion, it will also provide guidance to potential partners and clients, in the theory and best practices followed here.

Target audience

Primary: potential partners, funders, and clients external to CAES

Secondary: potential or existing partners and clients on campus

Tertiary: providing news, information, and a place to share/showcase our current work with others on the CAES staff

Demographics

Some higher education, web/tech savvy. “Intelligent lay person.”

Overall style

• Clean, consistent communication of overall CAES theme: People working toward a common goal of creating an effective new environment for technology- enhanced teaching and lifelong learning on a global scale.
• Warm, engaging design representing human interaction (a learning community) in the midst of “cool” technology. Not focusing on distant, abstract technology products and services, but the human angle seen through the faces of people – colleagues, students, faculty
• Innovative style, as opposed to traditional corporate style, in type families, colors, repeating shapes and patterns, symbols.
• Friendly, accessible, yet professional voice in text
• An element of confidence and fun in learning and mastering knowledge and skills

Design parameters

Theme/logo

A common theme among our projects and processes is the “Eureka” moment; the result of many disciplined hours of work. Whereas the environment remains the same, the goal is the moment when the new insight is illuminated.

The CAES logo represents the action of moving “fast-forward,” in other words, starting the fast, forward-looking process which leads to the insight.

The shape is also similar to that of a flag which defines a place or a group. CAES people share this common goal.

Typography

CAES’ typographic system will be used throughout the site. The typography of CAES will communicate MIT tradition, with a sense of innovation. Clean and clear, dignified with a sense of energy.

The system will consist of two families of typefaces, one serif and one sans-serif, which will communicate these characteristics when used in all sizes.

• Sans-serif graphic text: To be determined
• Serif browser text:: Browser default
• Sans-serif browser text: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

Colors

CAES’ primary services cover a diverse range of topics. Therefore, a variety of colors from across the color spectrum will be used to represent CAES services.

Colors will be organic, rather than neon. They should prompt associations with the research and academic environments.

A principal color and two supplemental colors may be used in multi-color media. The colors will be based upon the CAES logo colors that have already been used to present an image for the center

Cover

• Proposed theme line: Technology-Enabled Lifelong Learning
• Section navigation will be presented in colors which match inside use

Inside structure

• One page for each unit
• Two pages are updated each week (all pages every 3 months)
• Content “owner” for each page listed as contact
• Maximum number of words (300) and images (2 @ 320 x 240) per page

CENTER FOR ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

“Technology-Enabled Lifelong Learning”

Feature/Spotlight/News Flash (as needed)

• ABOUT
  • From the Director
  • Our Mission
  • News/What’s New
  • Positions Available
  • Search/Site Map/Frequently Asked Questions/Links
  • Feedback
  • Administrative Input Form
• PEOPLE (by group/name)
  • Permanent Staff
  • Research Assistants
  • Visiting Faculty, Scientists and Engineers
  • Former Staff
  • Former Students
• GROUPS
  • Headquarters
  • Advanced Study Program (ASP)
  • Center for Educational Computing Initiatives (CECI)
  • Digital Video Facility (DVF)
  • Streaming Media and Compression Services (SMaCS)
  • MIT Video Productions (MVP)
  • Educational Media Creation Center (EMCC/HTF/NMC)
  • Professional Institute (PI)
  • Our Partners
• RESEARCH
  • CharacterMaker
  • China Longbow Archive
  • Database 3D
  • Operation Futuro
  • iCampus
  • Jewish Women’s Archive [Lestra/Kirky]
  • Networked Multimedia Information Services (NMIS)
  • Mass. Foundation for the Humanities [Lestra/Andrew/Kirky]
  • Massachusetts Ponds Interactive
  • No recuerdo
  • Shakespeare Electronic Archive
  • TEAL (8.02 visualization) [John Belcher]
  • Virtual Screening Room
• SERVICES (AND FACILITIES)
  • Research and Assessment
  • Web Support for Curricula (EMCC/HTF/NMC)
  • Distance Learning (Triad/Studio) [+How-to guide]
    • Video Conferencing
  • Video Production
    • Field Production [+How-to guide]
    • Post-Production/Edit Suites [+How-to guide]
    • Digitizing and Compression (DVF)
    • MIT Cable
  • PROGRAMS/PRODUCTS
    • PBS The Business and Technology Networks
    • Physics Interactive Video Tutor
    • Singapore MIT Alliance
    • System Dynamics (ASP)
    • Seeing the Unseen CD-ROM
    • Commencement Videos
    • Deming Videos