UTSA Identity Guidelines

Identity Guidelines

Web and Multimedia

Information Architecture

UTSA.edu is primarily an information source. All UTSA Web professionals are responsible for the general structure and simplicity of this information.

Links

Appropriately labeled links aid users in locating information.

Menu labels

The functional role of menu labels requires that they be simple and descriptive. Use simple, user-centric language. Avoid labels that contain branded programs or other corporate and organization jargon. Be sure that the label appropriately represents the content that follows.

Menus should be consistently placed and easy to find through out the site.

Links inside text

Contextual links should have precise, verb-free labels. Resources:

Don't use "click here" as link text - from w3c.
section 6.1 Link text in the W3C HTML Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, November 2000
Avoid talking about mechanics in the Style Guide for Online Hypertext, by Tim Berners-Lee, 1992.
Writing hypertext copy in What is good hypertext writing?, by Jutta Degener, April 1998. (See also: Dangerous words)
Mail thread on the www-qa list, suggesting this tip.

Structure vs. Presentation

Text in place of images

Avoid placing textual information in images. Placing important text information into an image increases the document size, reduces usability and accessibility, and can weaken the user experience in general. "ALT" descriptions should be used to describe images, not to restate textual information in an image. Checkpoint 3.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:

3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.1)

Hierarchy (document outline)

All documents should contain a hierarchical order that represent an outline of the information contained in the document. Helpful to content producers and Web developers alike, a document hierarchy allows for a logical and uniform organization of the information contained. Header tags (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) are to be used in HTML pages to represent this hierarchy. Checkpoint 3.5 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:

3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.5)

Lists

HTML tags that represent lists (<ul>, <ol>, <li>) should be used. Checkpoint 3.6 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:

3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.6)

File naming

Keep file names short. One of the most common mistakes is being too descriptive when saving individual files. In order for users to remember your site, simplicity is the key. Do not use spaces—spaces cause complications in HTML markup and URL encoding.

Example:

A link titled /test/going to college.html will be interpreted as /going%20to%20college.html.

Instead, name the file gtc.html—the link will look like /test/gtc.html. This naming convention makes it much easier for users to remember when returning to your site.

Site map

A site map or equivalent tool with a prominently placed link is required.

Meta tags

Be sure to insert proper meta tag information and titles in your pages. Both are used by external and UTSA search engines and are mandatory due to compliance regulations. Failure to do so may result in your site being noncompliant and the inability of search engines to find and display your site.

Meta tags and titles are located within the HTML code of a document between the <head></head> tags. Information contained in the meta tags include keywords, descriptions, author, language, version, copyright, etc. Meta tags are used by many search engine robots (programs that automatically browse the Internet gathering information for search engines). These robots read the contents of the meta tags and use the information to index your pages in their respective databases.

Example:
Some meta tag information contained on the main UTSA home page are as follows:

 <head>

        <title>UTSA > University of Texas At San Antonio

        <meta name="title" content= "UTSA The University of Texas at San Antonio">

        <meta name="keywords" content= "UTSA, University of Texas at San Antonio, 
        public, colleges, universities, texas education, texas institutions, san antonio, 
        San Antonio, school, schools">

        <meta name="description" content="Come here, go far. The University of Texas at 
        San Antonio is the premier research and learning university in the southwest.">

        <meta name="copyright" content= "The University of Texas at San Antonio">

        <meta name="author" content="University Communications: Craig Evans, Joseph McBride, Patti 
        McDaniel, Maria Corral, Tom Palmer">

        <meta name="reply-to" content="webteam@utsa.edu">

        <meta name="created" content="Wed, 17 Jan 2001 12:00:00 GMT">

        <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en">

        </head>

myUTSA Calendars Campus Maps Site Index Directories


Identity Guidelines Web and Multimedia Information Architecture UTSA.edu is primarily an information source. All UTSA Web professionals are responsible for the general structure and simplicity of this information. Links Appropriately labeled links aid users in locating information. Menu labels The functional role of menu labels requires that they be simple and descriptive. Use simple, user-centric language. Avoid labels that contain branded programs or other corporate and organization jargon. Be sure that the label appropriately represents the content that follows. Menus should be consistently placed and easy to find through out the site. Links inside text Contextual links should have precise, verb-free labels. Resources: Don't use "click here" as link text - from w3c. section 6.1 Link text in the W3C HTML Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, November 2000 Avoid talking about mechanics in the Style Guide for Online Hypertext, by Tim Berners-Lee, 1992. Writing hypertext copy in What is good hypertext writing?, by Jutta Degener, April 1998. (See also: Dangerous words) Mail thread on the www-qa list, suggesting this tip. Structure vs. Presentation Text in place of images Avoid placing textual information in images. Placing important text information into an image increases the document size, reduces usability and accessibility, and can weaken the user experience in general. "ALT" descriptions should be used to describe images, not to restate textual information in an image. Checkpoint 3.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: 3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.1) Hierarchy (document outline) All documents should contain a hierarchical order that represent an outline of the information contained in the document. Helpful to content producers and Web developers alike, a document hierarchy allows for a logical and uniform organization of the information contained. Header tags (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) are to be used in HTML pages to represent this hierarchy. Checkpoint 3.5 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: 3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.5) Lists HTML tags that represent lists (<ul>, <ol>, <li>) should be used. Checkpoint 3.6 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: 3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 3.6) File naming Keep file names short. One of the most common mistakes is being too descriptive when saving individual files. In order for users to remember your site, simplicity is the key. Do not use spaces—spaces cause complications in HTML markup and URL encoding. Example: A link titled /test/going to college.html will be interpreted as /going%20to%20college.html. Instead, name the file gtc.html—the link will look like /test/gtc.html. This naming convention makes it much easier for users to remember when returning to your site. Site map A site map or equivalent tool with a prominently placed link is required. Meta tags Be sure to insert proper meta tag information and titles in your pages. Both are used by external and UTSA search engines and are mandatory due to compliance regulations. Failure to do so may result in your site being noncompliant and the inability of search engines to find and display your site. Meta tags and titles are located within the HTML code of a document between the <head></head> tags. Information contained in the meta tags include keywords, descriptions, author, language, version, copyright, etc. Meta tags are used by many search engine robots (programs that automatically browse the Internet gathering information for search engines). These robots read the contents of the meta tags and use the information to index your pages in their respective databases. Example: Some meta tag information contained on the main UTSA home page are as follows: <head> <title>UTSA > University of Texas At San Antonio <meta name="title" content= "UTSA The University of Texas at San Antonio"> <meta name="keywords" content= "UTSA, University of Texas at San Antonio, public, colleges, universities, texas education, texas institutions, san antonio, San Antonio, school, schools"> <meta name="description" content="Come here, go far. The University of Texas at San Antonio is the premier research and learning university in the southwest."> <meta name="copyright" content= "The University of Texas at San Antonio"> <meta name="author" content="University Communications: Craig Evans, Joseph McBride, Patti McDaniel, Maria Corral, Tom Palmer"> <meta name="reply-to" content="webteam@utsa.edu"> <meta name="created" content="Wed, 17 Jan 2001 12:00:00 GMT"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en"> </head>	UTSAWeb Identity Menu Identifying UTSA Editorial Style Guide Print Trademarks/Licensing Web and Multimedia Web & Multimedia Menu Web Templates Power Point Templates Color Chart Accessibility & Usability Information Architecture Visual Design/Presentation Images & Graphics Plug-ins/Accessories Site Hosting Sponsorship Recognition
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