Identity: University branding allows visitors to recognize immediately a web page's affiliation with Northwestern University.
Usability: Sites must be made as usable (that is, quick and easy to use, navigate, and understand) as possible for the widest audience.
Consistency: Web standards promote consistency. Consistency simplifies navigation of pages for end-users of Northwestern's web pages. Northwestern is committed to maintaining a high level of consistency across web pages in different areas of the University's web site.
Accuracy: Pages must be accurate and up-to-date.
Northwestern's Web standards have been organized in sections that apply to various roles in the web site creation/management process. These roles may or may not overlap in a given individual's responsibilities:
Policy section: Managers, department heads, administrators
Recommendations: Web designers, content providers, web developers
How-to's (online): Web designers, content providers, web developers
Visual Notes: Web designers, others responsible for the look-and-feel of site
Technical Notes: Webmasters, web developers
Any web document that represents Northwestern University and/or its official units, programs, departments, or schools is expected to follow University web standards.
Northwestern University seeks compliance with its web standards across all web sites associated with the University.
As a division of University Relations, Web Communications (Web Comm) handles several different services for Northwestern University. The office:
Web Communications also leads and oversees the activities of Northwestern University's Web Steering Committee. This committee is comprised of individuals involved or interested in web development at Northwestern. Within the Web Steering Committee, designated work groups:
For more information, or to join the Northwestern University Web Steering Committee, e-mail webmaster@northwestern.edu.
In its role as an "in-house consultant," the bulk of Web Comm's project work consists of web site re-design for various entities within the University. Clients include schools, academic departments, administrative units, and affiliated centers. The office works in varying degrees of partnership with clients; some clients have their own design team and require only minimal assistance with scripting or templates, for example, while others need the full range of services. Services/assistance:
The Office of Web Communications is available to answer questions and offer assistance at 847-467-4747 or <webmaster@northwestern.edu>. Please notify Web Communications if you are creating or redesigning a web site, even if you do not require assistance.
All departmental/unit web pages must adhere to Northwestern University's web standards as outlined in this document. To explore alternatives, contact Web Communications at 847-467-4747 or <webmaster@northwestern.edu> to discuss.
Northwestern strives to adhere to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Compliance with these acts helps ensure that Northwestern web pages will be readable by users with disabilities. Northwestern also follows most of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) < http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/checkpoint-list.html>. For more information, see Accessibility Recommendations.
Do not repeat information maintained elsewhere by the University (another division, school, department, administrative body). Instead, link to that official information. For example, class schedules are maintained by the Registrar; job listings are maintained by Human Resources.
Links to sites beyond Northwestern must adhere to the Links to Commercial Sites policy:
Web publishers at Northwestern University, are responsible for the content of their pages. Content must be up to date and follow all University policies, codes, and federal, state, and local laws.
Follow all applicable copyright laws.