Do you need to learn how to use RedRover, find a computer lab, get anti-virus software, figure out office voice mail, or set up an e-mail client? The answers are on the Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) Web site, Computing at Cornell, http://www.cit.cornell.edu, along with everything else related to telecommunication, data networks and business and instructional information technologies at Cornell.

On Feb. 18, CIT launched phase one of a major redesign of the site. Two years in the making, the new design updates the look, improves the navigation and adds new ways to find content.

With hundreds of IT topics, how-to guides and support information, the site had grown to more than 5,000 pages. Managing it became unwieldy. New Web technologies and design standards were applied to some pages, but not all, resulting in a site that seemed disjointed. To corral the sprawling site and unify the way it represents IT products and services, CIT launched the first major overhaul in 10 years.

First CIT conducted surveys and focus groups for faculty, staff, IT professionals and students, asking the Cornell community what it wanted in the online hub for IT information. Most strongly, respondents said they wanted it to be easier to find what they needed. They asked for consistency in how services were represented and better-looking pages.

Led by CIT's Integrated Web Services unit, the redesign reflects these requests along with best practices for Web user experience and Web accessibility, and a renewed effort to focus on Cornell users.

The goal of the redesign is to get information in the hands of users quickly and consistently. The new design uses consistent page layout and a unified navigation structure, and separates areas of focus for different audience groups, which range from new freshmen to IT professionals.

Some of the most notable changes:

• The home page includes a "paperclip graphic" with links to pages for students, faculty, staff, IT professionals, alumni and guests. Each link goes to a mini portal with more links to relevant services. CIT will add more as it continues researching the needs of each audience.
• News from CIT and about IT items from around campus get central placement on the home page. CIT invites submissions from faculty, staff and student groups with an IT focus. Readers can sort news by audience groups and then subscribe via RSS.
• The many forums CIT hosts about support issues or new technologies now have their own events calendar.
• Guides for the most commonly used products -- configuring your email or help with Blackboard -- are linked from the home page. More guides will be added.
• RSS capability across the site lets users read news, event and service updates tailored for each audience.

Phase one of the project tackled the big issues users had expressed about computing at Cornell. The initial focus of the redesign is on top-level pages and a handful of essential IT services. Pages that don't yet use the new look will migrate until the whole site is uniform.

Lynn Yenkey is a writer with CIT's Department of Academic Tech Support and User Services.