Create a User-Centric Web Standard Guidelines

Problem Statement:

How might we create a better UF web standard guideline?

Introduction:

The University of Florida faces a challenge where each department creates its own brand, using different variations of the university’s orange and blue colors. This inconsistency in brand representation across departments undermines the overall brand identity of the university. Additionally, the Marketing Communication team lacks the authority to penalize or enforce adherence to brand guidelines, resulting in a lack of accountability and compliance.

Methods:

Phase 1: Research

Conduct competitive analysis
- Analyze the branding and web guidelines of other universities and educational institutions to identify best practices for consistent branding and web governance.
- Assess how these institutions enforce adherence to brand guidelines and promote web standards.
Conduct user survey
- Administer a survey to department representatives, web developers, and other stakeholders to understand their experiences, pain points, and expectations related to brand guidelines and web standards.
- Utilize the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the ease of use and usefulness of the web standard guideline and predict the behavioral intention to use it.
  - Interview insights:

Hard to find. “If I could find the brand guidelines, I’d use them.”

Unnecessarily complex. “What does secondary mean anyway?”

Lacking version control. “Is this the latest? How long ago is this style guide”

Seen as unimportant. “Why do I need to spend extra time on this? Credential of the publisher?”

Not used by others. Lead by example “Other college not using it. Do I need to?”

Phase 2: Ideate

User-centered Policy: Organization assessment
Assess the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities related to brand guidelines and web governance.
Identify gaps and areas for improvement in existing policies and practices.
Incorporate the 5 “R’s” of web governance (Roles, Responsibilities, Relationships, Rules, and Review) proposed by Harrison, the first co-chair of the Federal Web Managers Council.To help users, I propose organizing the levels of suggestion as follows:
1. Policy
2. Standard
3. Guideline
Furthermore, I recommend providing step-by-step instructions in accordance with these suggestions.

Phase 3: Strategy

Establish clear goals for the web standard guideline project, such as achieving consistent branding, improving adherence to brand guidelines, and enhancing user experience on university websites.

Create a strategy based on TAM: ease of use and usefulness
Simplify the web standard guideline and make it easily understandable for users with clear terminology and explanations.
Define Role-Resources, “Who’s supposed to…?
Provide user-friendly templates, tools, and resources that facilitate the implementation of the guideline.
Highlight the benefits and advantages of adhering to the brand guidelines, emphasizing the impact on the university’s reputation and identity.
Communicate the importance of brand adherence and web standards by showcasing successful examples and demonstrating the influence of other institutions.
Foster collaboration and communication among departments to promote a collective commitment to brand adherence and web standards.
Monitor, Manage and Maintain website.

By incorporating these research insights and strategic considerations, the University of Florida can develop a user-centered web standard guideline that addresses the challenges of inconsistent branding and non-adherence to web standards. The guideline should focus on simplicity, usefulness, and providing tangible benefits to users, fostering accountability and promoting a unified brand identity across the university’s departments.

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Reference

DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION NEED A WEB GOVERNANCE STRATEGY?