• Introduction
• Main University web site
• Global navigation elements
• University graphics
• Typography
• Color
• Templates and examples
• Interface technology
• Content and maintenance

Minimum standards

The technology used to create web sites is constantly changing. Web pages that seem similar at first glance may use significantly different underlying technologies that make them more or less usable for different users using different browsers and more or less difficult to maintain. Therefore, some minimum standards apply:

1. All new University web pages must be accessible to users with disabilities. The minimum standard in this regard is a federal regulation called Section 508. Its requirements can be found in the GUide Committee summary or on the federal Access Board web site.
2. All University web pages should be designed to display and function similarly in any recent or current web browser on any PC. As of January 2002, that means interoperability with Netscape 4.6 and Internet Explorer 4.0 and above for PCs, and Netscape 4.5 and Internet Explorer 4.0 and above for Macs.
3. Exceptions may be made for specialized web sites that are intended to be viewed exclusively by an identified audience that does not have accessibility requirements.
4. All University web pages should be designed to have their content maintained long term by internal users with minimal training using any common web editor including FrontPage and Dreamweaver.

Core recommendations

1. In addition to minimum standards for accessibility, department web sites should follow many of the guidelines provided by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The GUide Committee recommends compliance with all Priority 1 WAI checkpoints as well as some Priority 2 WAI checkpoints. Please consult the recommendations of the GUide working group on interface technology.
2. The use of JavaScript, DHTML, Flash, and other plugins should be limited to situations where these tools add significantly to the value of a web page or web site. Departments should consider the potential difficulties of maintaining sites that use these technologies and the implications for accessibility. See the report of the GUide working group on interface technology for additional guidance.
3. It is preferable for the markup of each web page to conform with a published standard such as HTML 4.01. The GUide Committee recognizes that this can be difficult to accomplish with standard editing tools but offers its recommendations on the subject.
4. The use of frames is strongly discouraged.

Extended recommendations

Many new web standards exist to make web pages more standardized, re-usable, and maintainable. Many of these standards are not fully supported by current versions of common web editors and some are beyond the reach of beginning web developers. However, departments maintaining important University web sites for the long term should consider the following:

1. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are a standard for organizing and centralizing the formatting of web pages. CSS is unevenly implemented in different web browsers but is nevertheless highly recommended for the long-term maintenance of large web sites. Consult the report of the GUide working group on interface technology as a starting point.
2. XHTML (and its related languages XML and XSL) is a standard for structuring web pages so that they will be easier to adapt to different web-enabled devices and transform using future applications. Consult the report of the GUide working group on interface technology as a starting point.