Labeling and Granularity Exercise

For this exercise, you will create a list of an audience profile, a set of goals, a topic list, a flow chart, and a labeling system. This will all go in your Journal as entry #7.

Audience Profile: make a list of different types of people with different needs and tastes who would compose "new students to UMD."
Set of Goals: list goals for such a site, expressed as what your audiences would be able to do, how they would feel, etc.
Topic List: Go to list of New Student Topics below and come up with your own limited number of topics. I copied from an assortment of "First Year Student Guide" types of pages and sites, a few of which I've linked to at the bottom. Use these to get ideas for your own Completely Unofficial Guide to Your First Year at UMD, though don't restrict yourself to these.
Draw a flow chart of places and paths on your site (this should not show any detail of the pages themselves) and working out the hierarchy of the topics you've chose in step 3, and the choices that the user would have at each point.

New Student Topics

About Duluth
Academic Organizations
Academic Orientation for Freshmen Advisement/Registration for Transfer Students
Admissions
Advice on learning to live with a stranger
Advocacy and Support Services
American Express Travel Service
Arts
Athletics
Athletics and Recreation
Beyond the library: alternative study locales
Bookstore
Calendar of Events
Campus Banking:
Campus Clubs and Organizations
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry
Career and Placement Services
Career Center
Career Resource Centre
Catalogs
Centre for Mature Students
Chancellor's Greeting
Colleges & Schools
Collegiate Volunteers Counseling
Community Service
Continuing Education
Counselling and Development
Counselling Services
Course Guide
Courtyard Parking Spaces
Daily student-run newspaper
Dean of Students
Degree Programs
Degrees Offered at UMD
Dining on Campus
Dining Services
Disability Resource Center
Drama, Band, & Chorus
E-Mail Accounts
Entertainment
FAQ
Federal Credit Union
Financial Aid and Awards
First Year Experience
FYE Homepage
Graduate
Greek life: more than just socializing
Health Education Services
Health Insurance
Health Services
High School Juniors & Seniors
Homecoming
Hotels in the area
Housing
Housing and Conference Services
Housing and Dining Services
Housing and Residence Life
Housing Options
Immunization Records
Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS)
International Center
International Students
International Students Office
Involvement in clubs yields multiple benefits
Letter from the Dean of the Graduate School
Letter from the President of the University Graduate Student Association
Liberal Education Program
Library
Maps
Maps & Tours
Meal Plans
Medical School
Mission
More About UMD
Move-in Information
Multicultural Programs
New Student Programme
News
Outdoor Recreation
Pep Rallies Cafeteria
Performing Arts
Phone and Cable TV Service
Pictures
Portfolio
Postal Services
Programs
Public Service Opportunities
Publications
Recreational Sports & Outdoor Programs
Register for Classes
Religious life on campus
Residence Life
Residential Education
Restaurants
Safety and Security,
SGA Friday Nights
Shopping
Sports Clubs
Staff
Student Activites and Leadership Development
Student Center
Student Development Center
Student Employment
Student Handbook
Student Health
Student Health Services
Student Learning Services
Student organizations
Student Organizations Student Affairs
Student Programs
Student Residence Home Pages
Student Success Centre
Sunday Flicks
Technology 60 Campus Center, 726-6393 or 1-800-232-1339
Television
The Corp
Things to Do and Places to Go
Ticket Office
traditions convey history and spirit
Transfer Student
Transition Issues
Transportation
UMD Administration
UMD Facts
UMD Traditions
Undergraduate
University of Minnesota Campuses
University Programs and Services
Visitor Information Service Tours
Voting Information
Weather
Wells Fargo Credit Union Campus Maps
While You're Here
Women's Center

Sample Sites (mostly "official," though)

http://www.d.umn.edu/student/fye/publications/guide.html

http://www.marywood.edu/Survival/survival.stm

http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/NSG.htm

http://www.stanford.edu/home/students/

http://www.stanford.edu/home/students/newstudents/

http://www.unm.edu/~ugsadviz/gde~1.html

http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/nsh99/

http://occ.binghamton.edu/new.htm

A good labeling system for navigation:

presents a limited number of choices
uses representational rather than non-representational language (Gone with the Wind).
is consistent in the level of granularity (Childhood, Adolescence, Last Night, Adulthood)
is consistently parallel gramatically ()Try it Out!, Bob Eliott, FAQ, Cool Stuff
uses the language of the user, rather than of "insiders" or experts (on a medical site for patients rather than doctors, cancer vs.oncology )
avoids possible synonyms or overlap (global vs. international)