Web Team Project Updates
August 2023
Discover What's New: Our Recent Design Library Website Upgrades, Plus Advances in SEO and Accessibility
Design Library - New Components
As part of our ongoing upgrades to the Design Library sites we have added the following new components. The new content types can be added to any site using the Design Library style.
Search Form
The new Design Library - Search Form can be used to submit a search term to a URL that accepts a query parameter. It also provides an option to use an internal/external link or link to an item in the media library.
Affiliates Logo Slider
The new Design Library - Logo Slider can be used to display a slider with partners logos.
Design Library - Enhanced Components
We are also continually updating our current suite of content types to improve their functionality and versatility. Our most recent upgraded components are:
- Pre-Filter A-Z Link
You can now link to a pre-filtered version of your Design Library - A To Z listing by appending the page URL with "?category=your-category-here".
For example, to link to the Institutes and Centres category on the main UCD A-Z page:
https://www.ucd.ie/websmart/designlibrary-guide/newcomponents/atoz/?category=institutes-and-centres
This function can be useful to prevent multiple pages for different lists. Using the categories you can link users directly to the filtered version of a page.
- Shorted Home Slider Image
The Design Library -HomeSlider now comes with a "Short Height" option as seen on the UCD Homepage
- Testimonial Slider
The Design Library - Testimonial will now become a slider when multiple testimonial components are added consecutively.
Design Library - Custom Own Brand
To facilitate websites where UCD branding would not be appropriate (e.g. an inter-university research project), we have added a customisable version of the Design Library.
Custom colour palettes can be applied to the Design Library by the Web Team.
The use of custom colour palettes are subject to approval and will only be applied in cases where UCD branding is deemed inappropriate.
For more information please visit the Own Brand Sample Site
Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a set of practices designed to improve the appearance and positioning of web pages in organic search results. Organic search is the most prominent way for people to discover and access online content, so a good SEO strategy is essential for improving the quality and quantity of traffic to your website.
EAG are currently working with an external agency to conduct an SEO audit of pages on the UCD website. The aim of the project is to improve the organic search ranking of pages under the ucd.ie domain by addressing technical and content issues that are identified in the audit.
There will be a webinar in October and training videos made available to help website owners address SEO issues and improve the search engine ranking of their websites. We will be in touch with the WebSmart community soon with a date for the webinar.
Measuring and Testing Web Accessibility
UCD is using the Silktide platform to run automated tests to determine if our websites are compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Guidelines on making accessible PDFs
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Include h1 heading Tags: Begin your accessible PDF by providing a descriptive and meaningful h1 heading tag. This helps users navigate and understand the content structure. Use headings appropriately throughout the document, ensuring a logical hierarchy.
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Add Alternative Text (Alt Text) to Images: Images within the PDF should have alternative text descriptions, also known as alt text. Alt text provides a textual description of the image, allowing visually impaired users to understand its content. Be concise and descriptive in your alt text.
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Use Proper Formatting: Maintain a consistent and logical structure within the PDF. Use proper headings, lists, and paragraphs. This structure enhances readability and allows screen readers to navigate the content more effectively.
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Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast: Use high contrast between the text and background colors to ensure readability. This is particularly important for visually impaired individuals. Test the contrast using online tools to ensure it meets accessibility standards.
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Provide Text-Based Links: Instead of relying solely on hyperlinked text, ensure that the linked text is descriptive and meaningful even when read out of context. Avoid using generic phrases like "click here" and provide clear information about the linked content.
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Create Tagged PDFs: When saving or exporting a PDF, enable the option to create "tagged PDFs." Tagging helps define the structure of the document, allowing assistive technologies to understand the content organization and navigate it more effectively.