Portals and Web Standards Lessons Learned and Applied
Portals and Web Standards Lessons Learned and Applied David Cook d. cook@its. utexas. edu Copyright The University of Texas at Austin 2003. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.
UT Direct • • • Background/History UT’s Technology Environment UT Direct 1. 0 UT Direct 2. 0 Vision Web Standards Challenges
A Bit of History • President Faulkner’s State of the University address in Fall 1999 • Original goals of this vision – Improved quality of service – Improved efficiencies • Help students, faculty, and staff with their university business • Many services on the Web already
Technology Environment • Unified databases • Distributed application development; 175 trained developers • ADABAS/Natural/web. Agent
Sample Services Before UT Direct
UT Direct 1. 0 • Launched in August 2000 • Customized and personalized experience to students, faculty and staff based on primary role • Over 100 services
UT Direct 1. 0 Development Effort • 45 staff, 14, 000 hours • Estimated 50% of development hours spent on browser issues
UT Direct 1. 0
UT Direct Usage • 195 K total users • Spring 2002 – 35 K unique users per month – 22 K repeat visitors each month
Sample Services Before UT Direct
Similar Services After UT Direct 2. 0
Issues faced with UT Direct 1. 0 • Changing templates • Browser problems and updates; 50% of staff maintenance time • Frames • Some usability issues • Component institution branding • More granular role information needed
A vision for UT Direct 2. 0 • Removal of frames • Web standards (XHTML/CSS/DOM) • Support for other UT System components • Inline functionality rather than just links to services
UT Direct 2. 0 Vision (continued) • • Support for non-web. Agent technologies Improved modularity and maintainability Improved accessibility Closer alignment with redesigned public site
Implementing UT Direct 2. 0 • Gathered developer community to outline vision • Developed UT Direct “API” • Web standards education and evangelization • Usability/accessibility testing • Interface guidelines • Conversion
UT Direct 2. 0
Anatomy of a UT Direct 2. 0 Service
Why Were Web Standards Important • Multiple browser problems • Accessibility • Developers would not be drawing the complete page • Benefits to developers, end users, and support staff • Reduced costs
Validation Tool for Secure Pages
Sample Tab Code <div id="header. Bottom"> <span class="non. Standard">Tabs: </s pan> <div class="tab"> <a class="active. Tab" href="/utdirect/index. WBX" title="My Home Tab" accesskey="1">My Home</a> </div> <div class="tab"> <a class="non. Active. Tab" href="/utdirect/bookmarks/bk ms_list. WBX" title="My Bookmarks Tab">My Bookmarks</a> </div>
Bookmarks Before – 6 pages After – 60 lines
Logon Screen Warning
Standard vs. Non-standard Browsers
Benefits of UT Direct Development • Common look and feel for UT and other components • Service can be easily bookmarked • Service usage can be logged • Developers make fewer interface decisions
Component Support
Challenges in Development • Technical Issues – web. Agent 1 and web. Agent 2 – CSS Issues – Content Registry • Political issues – Conversion – Priorities – Control
Future • Move toward Java for portal framework • Still must support web. Agent applications • Closer examination of u. Portal features • More open architecture • Better alignment with public site
URLs • Information on UT Direct http: //utdirect. utexas. edu/utdirect/ • Web Standards and CSS – World Wide Web Consortium www. w 3. org – Web Standards Project http: //www. webstandards. org/ – Wired Redesign http: //www. wired. com/news/explanation. html – ESPN Redesign – CSS-discus Wiki http: //css-discuss. incutio. com/ – The DAO of Web Design http: //www. alistapart. com/stories/dao/
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