Web Group at Pratt

The new pratt.edu website represents a full year of concentrated efforts involving all areas of Pratt's IT division. We are very proud of the result.

Our new web presence follows a rigorous architectural logic where design and usability were our main concerns. Below you will find more information about the new design and dynamic features that will no doubt make using the new pratt.edu simple and rewarding.

Site Design

Designing With Web Standards

By adhering to current web standards, our new design utilizes the latest web technologies to strive for beauty and consistency. Our design focuses on simplicity, by stripping away any unnecessary elements. Using live text provides an optimal environment for accessibility, as users can scale their text up or down for increased readability, or use screen-readers when necessary. Our development code and CSS validate well by W3C accepted standards. Our back-end content management system allows for our over 200 content editors to fluidly update images and content easily, keeping the site current with the latest available information.

Navigation

This site's organization is based on a narrow:deep information architecture, utilizing tabular main-section navigation and a simple left-rail hierarchical menu tree. The navigation not only tells you where you are, but gives clear indications of the user-path that brought you there. The yellow underlines in the left-rail navigation illustrate your chosen user path, so no additional breadcrumb trail is necessary. By employing a single link-color throughout the site, one that stands apart from the general color palette, scanning the page for active connections is much easier.

Support Modules

All downloadable materials appear in a Download Module box site-wide. Users no longer need to "scrub" a page to discover where walkaway or printable materials may live. Breakout modules at the bottom of each page showcase other areas of interest within the section you're in, and breakout modules on the right showcase related areas of interest. A right-column calendar module provides quick access to the Pratt global calendar, so users can see what's going on at Pratt on any given day.

Custom Photography

Our site design also features original photography on top-level pages that has been custom treated to allow for a fluid/elastic interface. This allows the site to adjust to your browser window, while still being safe for most monitor resolutions. For the thin marquee pages that appear as you drill down, photobars showcase images and student work from all disciplines that Pratt offers.

Highlights of some of the new features and functionality

Online Course Catalog & Course Search

A new online Course Catalog as well as a Course Search tool allows users to find any course in any field. Users can also toggle between sections to see specific section information, such as the instructor's contact information and a link to their biography.

Animated Galleries

The new Pratt.edu standardizes treatment of all media in self-playing animated galleries using Slide Show Pro.

Degrees & Curriculum

Pratt.edu now features full listings of all Undergraduate and Graduate degrees. Each degree page features a description of that degree program and its corresponding curriculum. Classes within the curriculum are active links that launch a pop-up window with full course information.

Faculty Biographies

Pratt.edu now features a full page display of all faculty in any given department, and each faculty and staff member have their own biography page.

Directories & Search

Our new search functionality not only searches site content, but also pulls from our collection of breakout modules and displays those results in the right-hand column. Our Campus Directory searches all faculty or staff and links to their new biography page on the site.

Announcement Calendar

Introducing a new approach to Pratt Announcements, this website now features a Pratt Global Calendar with department/office specific views depending on a user's particular interests. Each department/office announcement link displays only those announcements tagged with their particular category. A full calendar view displays all Pratt scheduled events on a given day.

Department Blogs

Each department now features their own blog, which is actually a local view of Pratt's Global Blog. Each blog post displays within the categories tagged from the post, and are aggregated in the global blog. Recent entries, highest-rated posts, affiliated sites and an archive are featured on the right. The blogs serve as a place for virtually any kind of information where feedback is invited.