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Web Redesign Project

A full redevelopment of the tamusa.edu website is currently underway. Because the website is the University’s largest marketing and communications platform, every effort is being made to ensure the delivery of a top-quality product that showcases both the academic opportunities and the campus experience while offering a seamless, intuitive user experience.

Feedback from students, faculty, and staff were taken into account when developing this new design, and the design was developed in direct response to this feedback.

For cascade page builder training information please visit the Cascade Help page.

General User Information

When will the new website launch?

Redesign efforts have been ongoing since August of 2023. The official launch date is scheduled for June 24.

How will this redesign affect me?

Every effort is being made to ensure that this redesign launch has minimal impact on users. When the new site launches, you can look forward to a more modern look with a mobile-responsive design. Additionally, the navigation will be cleaner and more streamlined.

Some bookmarked links may be redirected to different pages due to content being optimized and consolidated into a smaller number of pages, so a link that previously took you to a standalone page may redirect to a page with that content added.

How will the new site improve on the old site?

The new site will be an improvement on the current site in several ways. The navigation will be streamlined, visible on each page and based on the site’s file structure. The site will also be better-optimized for mobile, so page content will be optimized for whatever device from which a visitor is accessing the site. The new site will also allow departments to create more dynamic, visually appealing pages, so the overall look and feel of the website will be an improvement over the current site as well.

Will I still be able to find the things I need?

We anticipate that once you've familiarized yourself with the new site, it will be even easier for you to find things you're looking for. The new site will have a new streamlined navigation that will mirror the site’s file structure and will be visible on each page. So from any given page, users will be able to jump to any page within the same folder without having to return to the landing page.

The expanded capabilities of the new website will also allow for the consolidation of content into a smaller number of pages. This means that more relevant content will be concentrated in a smaller number of pages, meaning fewer clicks to find what you need.

Backend User Information

Will I need to recreate all my pages on the new site?

No, unlike the previous redesign, all content will be migrated for you into the new site. The website redesign team will rework content to best fit into the new design, so you may find the content is in a different order, or that some pages have a slightly different appearance and functionality, but all relevant content will be migrated to the new site.

Given the increased flexibility of the new page designs, we believe that you’ll find the migrated pages to be improvements upon the previous versions. However we do understand that there may be things you wish to modify or rearrange after the new site launches, and users will be supported by the website redesign team in making those revisions.

Please note that to facilitate the migration of this content and to ensure no content is lost, a freeze on all content on the current site will take place from June 1 to June 24.

Will the backend interface be the same?

Yes and no. The backend will still be based in Cascade CMS, but the resources and assets available to users will be different, and the steps needed to make use of these new assets will be different. 

Will there be training on how to create pages on the new site?

Yes, trainings will be held on four consecutive Wednesdays starting May 22nd and ending June 19th. These trainings will be limited to existing Cascade owners so that content can be tailored to those who are already familiar with Cascade but need to learn the functionality of the new site's backend.

Those who are not existing Cascade users should first request Cascade access from ITS and then sign up for one of the regular monthly trainings sessions for beginners.

How will the new site backend improve on the current site backend?

The new site backend will improve on the current site’s in several ways. First, navigation will now be automatically integrated into each page as a sidebar navigation, allowing content owners to worry more about the content of their pages than the functionality. Internal pages will have built-in navigation that will allow users to jump to any page within a given section of the website, meaning users will no longer have to navigate back to the landing page in order to jump to another page within that section.

The new backend will also allow for the reordering and reuse of elements within a page. This means that backend users and content owners will have more freedom than ever before to create robust, visually appealing pages to showcase their department, division or program.

Will there be a standardized design for pages?

Yes and no. Pages will be classified into various categories (ex. landing page, division page, department page, etc), and each category will have elements that are required to be placed in specific positions on the page. For example, a hero (aka header) section will be required at the top of certain page categories and contact information will be required at the bottom of some page categories.

These requirements are still under development, but when they are finalized, they will be communicated to Cascade users before launch.

Additional Questions?

For additional questions about the status and scope of the project, please contact matthew.livingston@tamusa.edu. If you are having issues with the current website, please submit an ITS Help Desk ticket detailing the issue.