PHP 8.0 – what’s new
PHP is used on the University website to provide dynamic web content, sometimes to bring content from an external database or from an external feed such as news or events. Each release of PHP is fully supported for two…
Search by author: Stephen Evans
I have been working for the University since 2005. Prior to that I was a research scientist at Cambridge University studying different biological processes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Academia wasn't for me, even though scanning strawberries and melons was fascinating! Now I oversee the work of the team and provide support where it is needed, particularly on the web development side of things. I am also an alum of the University, where I studied plant biology.
What does a Careers Centre website need?
The Digital Communications team started a redesign of the Careers Centre website in January 2021. The first phase of this project aimed to find out what users needed from the Careers Centre. To this end, we carried out…
5% time
For a number of years, the digital communications team has reserved an afternoon per two-week sprint. The idea for this stemmed from Google’s 20% policy where Google reportedly allowed employees to spend 20% of their…
How Web 3.0 will impact higher education
The birth of the internet is considered to be 1 January 1983 – since its inception, the internet has rapidly evolved and spread across the world to impact all aspects of our lives. How will its current development…
From strings to things
Website searches have the potential to be a much richer experience than just finding content that matches the search term (string). Google has been providing ‘rich snippets’ since 2009 to describe people, provide…
Six steps to overcome online indecision
How do we make it easier for users of the University website to find the right link, the right information they need? The current landing pages for current staff and current students provide a plethora of choices –…
Using cues.ai to inform decision making
We have been using software called cues.ai from a company called Twenty Thousand Leagues, since April this year. When students view a course page, the software prompts students with a question ‘are you interested in…
How to indicate required and optional fields in forms
Online forms can be complicated to complete. How can we make it easy for users to know which fields have to be filled in and which ones are optional? An article by the Nielsen Norman Group recommends that all fields…
Academic Schools project
The Academic Schools project has lasted nearly two years. With the launch of the School of Biology on 4 June 2020 it brought to completion the redesign of 24 different websites.
Web developer vacancy
The digital communications team is seeking a Web Developer. The Web Developer will play a vital role in ensuring that all aspects of the University’s digital sphere are working as designed.