Website Upgrades

By Tom Elliott
With Kristen Soule
09/08/2015

Over the past year, we have been engaged in a significant effort to improve the Institute's website. In August we reached an important milestone in that effort: the rollout of a new visual design. More than just a fresh look, the new design is now responsive: page layout is automatically reconfigured to provide an optimal viewing experience on tablets and phones. Visitors will notice other refinements as well. We’ve made it easier to find information they are looking for: the four most popular sections of the site (graduate studies, visiting scholars, exhibitions, and events) are colorfully emphasized at the top of each page. Gallery and library hours appear in the footer on each page. Navigation menus have been made easier to understand and use, particularly on mobile devices. Search result listings have been streamlined and improved. The events section is now more than a simple list; users have the option of viewing events on a weekly or monthly calendar. The news blog has been given a more modern layout. We have also made it possible for individual departments to create their own blogs on the site. The Library blog is the first example of this new capability.

Screen capture of the ISAW home page on an iPhone 6.

Behind the scenes, several other improvements have been made. The website is now running on a new, up-to-date server. The software framework we use (an open-source content management system called Plone) has also been upgraded to the latest version. These upgrades will deliver better performance, reliability, and security. Internally, ISAW personnel have better tools for creating, revising, and reviewing the content that appears on the website. A completely overhauled "Employee Guide" presents not only new students and scholars, but also ISAW veterans with better, easier-to-find information about policies, procedures, community resources, and more. New mechanisms for including images and streaming video have been added as well, so watch for more visual content on the site in coming months.

We invite comments and suggestions about the new website design. Feel free to email me at .