In terms of functionality and aesthetics, the adoption of a common design theme is beneficial both to Western and to the end user. Akin to how Windows applications look and feel the same, the adoption of a consistent site-wide organization theme makes navigation easier for the user. The user will not have to "shift gears" when transitioning between departments, making for a seamless browsing experience. A side benefit is that the cohesiveness of Western's image is enhanced in the process. Appropriate, consistent reinforcement of the Western "brand" in the form of logos, color schemes, and thematic design elements contribute to a more positive impression of Western for prospective students, their families, and other constituencies.

The most tangible benefit of adopting a standardized web design is the time savings for the individuals across campus charged with the responsibility of maintaining departmental pages. With an established set of style standards and pre-existing examples of how content may be organized, faculty and staff are more free to focus on content, rather than spending time producing a design and layout from scratch.

In the case of Western's templates, the major design elements seen in the new home page are reflected in the template design being adopted by many departments across campus. These design elements include:

• A page header, customized to your department and displayed across the top of all pages incorporated in your site.
• A left-justified, main navigation area intended for the categorization and display of links to the major areas of your site.
• A large multipurpose area on your home page which may include either an image or collection of images that reflect your department or highlight an area of your website, or a multimedia element such as a Flash menu or feature.
• A news/bulletin area on your home page suitable for posting news or announcements in a visible area.
• A smaller feature area useful for presenting a unique graphic, showcasing awards, highlighting an area of your site or linking to related sites.
• A selection of secondary page templates incorporating the header and navigation as described above, and including a page title, and optional space for features.
• A page footer, containing the Western logo, displayed across the bottom of all pages incorporated in your site.

Perhaps the most important feature of the template design is the compromise it strikes between departmental individuality and site-wide standardization. The method of navigation is consistently easy to find and easy to use. The attractiveness of the pages is appealing and at the same time, unobtrusive. The association of the page to Western is consistently evident in the design and structure. And yet, the opportunity for creativity and individual identity remains within the guidelines of the template, as evidenced by the great variety of "looks" seen across departments that have adopted the template for their site redesign.

Lastly, an interesting side-effect of adopting the template has been that departments must give attention to re-evaluating the content in their sites; whether it is simply updating the information, or completely rethinking the presentation. While this comes with its own set of challenges, most agree that it is a very worthwhile and much-needed exercise, and will result in a Western Web that is at once more modern and relevant.

For more information on the templates or if you wish to obtain them for the design of your departmental website, please contact Web Services at 650-3096 or send email to webhelp@wwu.edu.