The new site is coming soon!
The new Lousiana.edu is nearly ready to launch! We know it’s been a long time coming and we appreciate all of the support and insights our web ambassadors have shared over the last three years.
We hope to launch the main website in November. Once it is live, we will be finishing up the design and build-out of all secondary website templates that will be used on all of the subsites (that’s you). Then we will begin working our way down the list of 150+ University sites. A preliminary timeline has been drafted if you are curious.
We know you’ll have some questions once the new main site is live. We’ve created this FAQ to answer some of your initial questions.
What are some of the cool new features we should look for on the new site?
Examples of new features you’ll soon be able to experience include:
- A simplified menu
- Improved search capabilities
- An employee-specific page that serves as a homepage for our faculty and staff
- A robust searchable directory for offices and organizations
- Program pages that detail each major and minor offered at UL Lafayette
Where did (fill in the blank) go?
Because this new site was designed and built using data, we were able to elevate content that users visit the most and eliminate pages that were not used. In other situations, we put a lot of energy into reimagining some of the most used site features/pages.
For example, there is no A-Z on the new site. The A-Z had to be manually updated, therefore it was always outdated. For the new site, we re-envisioned the A-Z as a more robust directory. This provides all of the directory information with a single click, rather than just sending people to another website to search for contact info.
The new website was built to today’s standards. That means it’s a tool for recruitment, not a repository or filing cabinet like our old site. Much of what was on the old site that was internally facing was either moved to ULink or lives on a subsite.
If you can’t find something you’re looking for, email our web team at website@louisiana.edu and we’ll help you find it.
When will my site be redesigned?
We plan to follow the same timeline as the last redesign. There are four rounds and each round takes about six months.
Round I will consist of sites that perspective students access most frequently, such as financial aid, housing, and scholarships.
Then, the remaining student-centered sites and most employee-centered sites will be in Round II.
Round III will begin the colleges and departments. We will work on a college and all of its departments and centers at the same time. The order of the colleges will be determined by the provost and deans.
Round VI will consist of the centers and labs.
Then we start the redesign process all over again!
Will we have to rebuild my site from scratch?
Yes and no. Our web team will help you rebuild your site using our new tools and features, which will offer your users a better, more dynamic experience.
The good news is your content can move over to your new site. That’s why it’s key to start updating and perfecting your content now, so when the time comes to rebuild your site, you’re more than halfway there!
There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s not as heavy a lift as the redesign we did years ago.
Will my site look like the new main site?
Yes, but with slight differences. Video headers will only be available on the main site. We’re still working through the design for subsites (your site), but we plan to provide the majority of the features, such as checkerboards, differentiators, and cool parallax photos, on all of the sites.
Will my site have the same look or will I be able to customize it?
All sites will carry the same theme and colors as the main site. That’s part of a unified web presence and helps users easily identify the type of site they are on. Customization will be possible through the features and images we use on your site.
Will my site have new photos?
Yes. We’ll work with you to schedule photo shoots as we work on your new site.
