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How to make PDFs accessible
PDF files published on the University of St Andrews website must meet accessibility standards. This is so the website, and all the content within it can be used by as many people as possible. Considering that there are hundreds of PDF files on the University website, it’s imperative that they’re also accessible. This post is…
15 July 2019Accessibility
Designing for users on the autistic spectrum
Users on the autistic spectrum can benefit from accessible web-based services. This guidance is for web and digital professionals who want to make sure that their service is accessible for users on the autistic spectrum.
8 July 2019Accessibility
Summer Graduation 2019 live stream data
Between Monday 24 and Friday 28 June 2019, nine graduation ceremonies were streamed live on the University website. These streams were accessible via YouTube and were embedded on one page of the University website. We also set up an alternative web page embedding a stream feed with lower bandwidth primarily for users who have no…
3 July 2019Data
Findings from Funnelback search usability testing
Last November I wrote about the initial findings from the control usability test that was conducted on Google Search Appliance (GSA), the University’s search system at the time. The main outcomes from that test were that University search results were inaccurate, there was a distrust of keymatch boxes and there was little interaction with search…
27 June 2019Usability
How to make videos accessible with closed captions
Subtitles are transcripts of a video’s dialogue or audio contained in SubRip (SRT) files that are attached to videos. They provide context and clarity to video content.
21 June 2019Accessibility
What is a GIF file?
If you’ve scrolled through any social media feeds today, it’s likely you’ll have encountered a few GIF files (pronounced JIF…although personally I’m in the hard ‘G’ camp).
14 June 2019Technology
All about newsletters
On Wednesday 29 May, the digital communications team hosted the May Digital Forum, which was one of our most popular meetings to date! The subject of this forum was ‘all about newsletters’ and was an opportunity to discuss newsletter best practice, the digital communications newsletter and the use of Sway as a newsletter alternative. There…
10 June 2019Digital Forum
Student design sprint prototype
On behalf of the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) project Board, the digital communications team hosted a design sprint with students to help redesign certain elements of the student portal.
5 June 2019Design
Revised T4v8 training
As more staff members are gaining access to T4v8, I have noticed that undertaking training in T4v8 does not necessarily always equate to understanding or comprehending the training. Therefore, I have introduced a new assessment element to the T4v8 training to make sure staff have gained the required knowledge and skills to successfully be a…
30 May 2019Training
New School websites usability findings
Two weeks ago I conducted usability testing on the design for the new School websites on behalf of the Business Transformation Board who are running the Academic School Websites project. This project seeks to update and redesign the existing School websites using the digital pattern library (DPL). This post provides a summary of the test and…
23 May 2019Usability