Why conduct Annual Reviews?
To provide the best level of support for Site Content Editors (SCEs), Web Services will conduct annual reviews of each Kalamazoo College website.
The purpose of this review is to connect with SCEs on a frequent basis, ensure that ADA compliance is being met, and evaluate usability for the intended audience.
Annual Review Process
- SCE completes the WordPress Annual Review Questionnaire to identify the best time of year to meet and share the specific areas you would need help with in the future
- Web Services will reach out to schedule your annual review based on your specifications in the questionnaire
- About two weeks before your scheduled review, Web Services independently reviews your website(s)
- During the annual review, you will be given a document with specifics relating to your website(s) evaluation. We will also:
- Answer outstanding questions you may have related to your websites
- Create a plan with a timeline for ADA, K Branding and usability related items that need to be addressed on your website(s)
- Discuss your future goals and needs of your website(s)
- Collect feedback you may have for Web Services and the way in which we support you
How do we evaluate your website(s)?
Web Services will use the evaluation checklist when reviewing all SCE websites.
We will also assign a status to each of these elements that reflect what the SCE can do to get their website(s) in good standing.
Evaluation Checklist
| Category | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Does the website meet all A/AA ADA standards specifically when using images, links, columns, tables, choosing colors for text, etc.? |
| Quality | Is the website well organized and easy to navigate through? Is it easily scannable and not confusing to the user? |
| Copyright | Does the website credit the creators of content that is not their own if it not under creative commons or is not copyright free? Additionally, does the website follow rules outlined on the K College copyright website? |
| K Branding | Does the website abide by standards outlined in the Kalamazoo College Brand K Manual? |
| Consistency | Does your website look coherent and work harmoniously? Examples include consistent navigation, style of headers, page titles, calls to action, etc. |
Status
Exemplary – This is perfect! No changes necessary.
Meets Standards – Meets standards; however, requires some editing in the near future.
Needs Improvement – May violate ADA standards, does not meet usability standards, and/or violates K branding or copyright. Items in this category are in need of editing immediately.
What can you do to prepare for your website(s) annual review?
- Fix errors listed on your Siteimprove Quality Assurance (QA) report. Have questions about the QA report? Reach out to Katrina!
- Check your website for outdated information – Do you have old hours of business listed on your website? What about an outdated link to the campus map in your footer? Now is a good time to review your content to make sure everything is up-to-date.
- Review images – Are you using images like flyers and brochures with words on them? Did you know that images on your website(s) are supposed to be 400KB or less and not over 1400 x 1400 pixels? Do you know when it’s appropriate to use alt text? If these are things you forgot in your initial WordPress 101 training, please review the Being Inclusive on the Web module along with accessibility information related to images on this site.
- Evaluate your link text – Make sure that your link text is descriptive enough for users. Additionally, fix plainly pasted URLs and remove those “click here” links.
- Prepare to share your questions and your needs – Although we will be providing you with a review, our meeting will also be dedicated to answering your questions and listening to your needs as an SCE. Gather a list of questions that we can go over at the end of the review.