Category: User experience (Page 1 of 2)

Understand how users interact with websites

How to achieve good website design

July 19, 2022 / weboperations

What attracts users to your La Trobe microsite? Do you know if they are engaging with your content? What makes them stay or leave? Do you know if they found what they came for?

The answers could lie in your site design.

Good site design consists of a few key principles and practices, if integrated well, can help users navigate your site with ease and find the information they are searching for.

Good site design is not just about aesthetics, it covers your site’s content, layout and usability. Good site design encompasses a good user experience and enables information to be transferred easily.

Accessibility and web content

May 24, 2022 / weboperations

Ever wondered what accessible web content really means?

Web accessibility is the principle of making online content available to as many people as possible.

Contrary to popular belief, accessibility isn’t limited to those with visible disabilities, such as limited hearing or vision.

Steven Zelko, accessibility expert and Coordinator, Inclusive Development (Tech & Training) at La Trobe’s AccessAbility Hub, answers some common questions around accessibility.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

May 10, 2022 / weboperations

Thursday May 19 2022 marks the eleventh Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).

Aligning your web content with La Trobe brand and style guides

April 5, 2022 / weboperations

Brands influence, inspire and persuade.

At La Trobe, our brand expresses who we are. It helps communicate our values and brings our personality to life. It’s confident and contemporary. Colourful and consistent. It stands out from the crowd.

screen capture of the Melbourne campus DS design

A guide to your DS landing page

March 21, 2022 / weboperations

Has your site moved to La Trobe’s new Design System (DS)?

The Design System helps make La Trobe’s website and all sub-sites consistent in their design and layout of information.

DS components can be used in the Content Management System (CMS) to present your site information more clearly, break up large areas of text and make information more accessible to users. The DS also ensures users have similar brand and design experiences with all University interfaces. View examples in our DS component library.

Here’s some examples of the DS components with guidance on how they can be best used to enhance your site’s landing page.

Illustration: page to linking to other assets

Understanding hyperlinks

February 2, 2022 / weboperations

Hyperlinks are used to help users navigate around a website. Their purpose is to connect pages, images and documents to one another to either internal pages or external websites.

Illustration: a web design featuring on multiple devices: laptop, mobile, desktop, tablet

What is a design system?

November 17, 2021 / weboperations

A design system is a system of visual cues, components, layouts, and guidelines to define and support digital experiences.

A design system isn’t a marketing document. It’s a tool to help web designers, developers and user experience experts create cohesive and adaptable products. A design system creates one single source of truth allowing collaboration and synergy.

How to enhance a user journey through call to action buttons

May 19, 2021 / weboperations

A page without a call to action button (CTA) is like a driver without a map. A CTA button aims to direct your user on a clear path within your site helping to achieve the goals of your site.

screen capture of a standard with the design system applied.

Welcome to La Trobe’s Design System (Wedgetail)

April 28, 2021 / weboperations

You may have noticed that new designs and components are selectively rolling out across our website. These components and layouts are part of La Trobe’s Design System and they help deliver consistent web experiences. Some of the benefits are that users can now expect a similar experience on the website as well as on our other digital interfaces. To learn more about design systems and their role see what is a design system.

Person designing user design on blue and white board

What is information architecture?

April 14, 2021 / weboperations

Information architecture (IA) is defined as the structural design of information. It aims to ensure usability in complex systems. In simple terms, IA is arranging information in order to help the end user make sense of this information and find what they are looking for.