Denver Public Schools User-Interface Posted on July 30, 2008 Post a comment

Web site functionality from yesteryear just doesn’t cut it anymore. Web applications have improved drastically, and user expectations have multiplied as the gap between good and bad Web work widens. In order to satisfy the growing need for interactivity, cohesion, and utility, it’s important to realize the needs of your site’s users, as well as the best way to manage their activity.

When we first talked about Communications.dpsk12.org, we eluded to how we developed the site to “improve work flow and communications.” We realized right away that the user experience was going to be a challenge given the wide range of information the Communications Office would manage daily. So, we made it our goal to shape the site’s visual elements in a way that would effectively bridge usability throughout the site.

For Denver Public Schools, we used CSS layouts to generate a pleasing and professional look, while adhering to best practices in navigational layout and design. Behind the front end of the site lies a robust content management system that gracefully coordinates the various input the Communications Office requested. 

Employees and community members alike are all able to submit press releases through a multi-page guided form, they can sign up to receive email newsletters, they can request a number of different translation services, or upload events and announcements that will be approved and automatically placed in their respective archive. All of this incoming data is coordinated through a series of online submission forms, and dynamically organized into a back-end Web application that allows the administrators to amend and approve selected submissions.

This same back-end is a robust content management system that coordinates all the Communications Offices content, including general content entry and editing (district reform, newsroom, resources, news clips, etc.), user submissions, submission approvals, user form manipulation, filtering systems, email subscriptions, administration management, Meta data entry, and more.

One example of how this system is used on a daily basis is when the Communications Office archives articles about their school system on the Web site. Below is a screen capture showing just three of the ten different functional views for managing this News Clips portion of the Web site.

The DPS Communications Office now has more than just a Web site, they have an effective enterprise management system. Reviews are starting to flow in, like this one, from a former DPS teacher: 

“Just came across your newly designed communications site and want to pass the word on to the designers that this is a spectacular job. The site is incredibly usable...clear and concise...my eyes focus on important elements quickly and those elements seem to be in the right places. No hunting for navigation or search elements. Great use of graphics...they help me find the information I was looking for quickly. Search is right there on top...navigation is clear and simple with a bar on the top and additional but less used destinations at the bottom.... All in all, an impressive job.” - Eric Bakken

With the Denver Public Schools Communications Office Web site, we developed a Web presence that streamlined the office’s efforts in a number of facets. This is a great example of how a Web site can be more than just an online brochure; it can be a true conduit for communication.