Launch
With the official launch of our new departmental website, I am reminded of this blog. I have been a lousy and inconsistent blogger but that is something I hope to change.
So something I learned from this whole process is that web development will be an ongoing project. I was naive to think that after November 10th, I would not have to worry about the website anymore. In reality, there are still tons of areas to develop and improve. I guess the only way to get rid of this project is to be preggers like Est. :P
But in the meantime, I’m going to take a breather and enjoy the momentary glory.
First Focus Group
Along with Est, we ran our first website focus group today. I say first because I have a feeling there are a lot more to come. The turnout was a little disappointing, only 6 students made their way to our focus group. However, their input was very valuable.
Some interesting findings:
- Gimme answer quick. Students want live chat with advisors and counsellors.
- A face to the name. Students want pictures of staff but they don’t want ones that look like “passport photos.”
- Show me the money. Students want to attend focus groups that give good prizes.
Resource sharing
- The University of Texas at Austin offers great tips in designing questions for usability testing.
- Poll Daddy is more than helpful in data collection. The 10 question limit for non-paying users also made us think twice about our questions and made sure they are good ones.
Birth of a new blog
So today Laura asked me about my blog, I realized I didn’t have one to share. Sure, I had a blog from my university days that I used to distract myself from the mundane papers I had to write but it certainly isn’t something I wanted to share with my colleagues or fellow professionals (if I may consider myself as one). So voila, a new blog, a place where I hope to share lessons I learn as a career counsellor and tools and resources I encounter as a geek-wanna-be.
