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Jeffco Website Redesign Project

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Overview

Jeffco Public Schools is excited to launch a comprehensive redesign of our district and school websites to connect staff, students and families with resources from the district and their schools in support of delivering a world-class education.

Latest Update: March 2024

Jeffco is excited to announce that the new district website (jeffcopublicschools.org) and staff intranet will be launching the last week in March! Over the past year, the district has collaborated with staff, students, families and community members to build a website and intranet that best meets their  needs. 

A special thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, feedback and expertise to the website redesign project. Your contributions have helped create a best-in-class website experience for our families, students, staff and Jeffco community.

Website Highlights

  • Updated navigation and organization: The main menu and structure of the website make it easier for users to find information quickly. 
  • Mobile responsive: Experience all features of the new Jeffco website directly from your mobile device, without any issues.
  • User-friendly homepage: The new homepage of Jeffco’s website will offer users all they need to stay informed, engaged and connected. It will include the latest announcements, upcoming events, essential resources and quick navigation to important sections.
  • Audience landing pages: Dedicated pages for families, students, future students and employees will provide useful links and the most commonly accessed information per audience group.
  • Focused on accessibility: New Jeffco websites will have built-in functionality to ensure everyone can navigate the website with ease, creating an inclusive online experience for all.

Preparing for Launch

  • Once the new Jeffco website goes live, some webpage URLs may change. Keep in mind any webpages you currently have bookmarked and update them accordingly after the new website goes live.
  • We look forward to hearing your feedback on the new website. A survey will be available on this page after the website goes live. 

Check back for additional project updates throughout the year!

 

Past Updates

  • November 2023: As part of the Jeffco website redesign project, we will be inviting the Jeffco community to test new websites during the development phase and provide feedback. This is an important step in creating the best website experience for our community.  

  • August 2023: Website CMS Vendor Selection: We are excited to announce that we have selected Finalsite as our new website Content Management System (CMS) vendor. Finalsite best fits Jeffco’s need for a sustainable web solution that champions digital accessibility and provides a seamless user experience on a modern, user-friendly platform.

  • April 2023: The district has processed the website survey feedback and are excited to share what we’ve learned. These findings will be used to inform decisions about our future website platform, design, layout, navigation and more.

    View the Community Feedback Survey findings and planned solutions
  • February 2023: We appreciate the more than 540 members of the Jeffco community who took our survey about their experience with district websites. We are processing this feedback and will use it to inform decisions about our future website platform, design, layout, navigation and more. A report of the survey data will be available later this spring.
  • January 2023: As part of our initial community engagement and user research, we encouraged our families, students and community members to provide feedback on their experience with the current district website and their school website(s) through a survey available in English and Spanish. The feedback provided  is helping us to identify how our digital platforms can best serve your communication needs.

Project Timeline

This timeline is subject to change.

Winter 2022

Spring 2023

  • Website platform selection process
  • Website user research
  • Website content, user experience and interface design

Summer 2023 - Winter 2024

  • Phase 1: Jeffco external website and intranet (internal website for Jeffco staff) development, migration, user testing, training and launch

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

  • Phase 2: School website development, migration, user testing, training and launch


Community Feedback Survey

We appreciate the more than 540 members of the Jeffco community who completed Jeffco’s website redesign survey in January 2023 and provided important feedback about their user experience with our district websites. 

The district has processed the survey feedback and are excited to share what we’ve learned. These findings will be used to inform decisions about our future website platform, design, layout, navigation and more.

View the Community Feedback Survey findings and planned solutions

Website Redesign Terminology

Accessibility: 

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people will be able to:
  • Perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web
  • Contribute to the web

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the web, including:

  • Auditory
  • Cognitive
  • Neurological
  • Physical
  • Speech
  • Visual

Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities, for example:

  • People using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc.
  • Older people with changing abilities due to aging
  • People with temporary disabilities such as a broken arm or lost glasses
  • People with situational limitations such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
  • People using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth

Learn more about web accessibility.

Source: 
Initiative, W. W. A. (2022, March). Introduction to Web Accessibility (S. L. Henry, Ed.). Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/ 


Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is an application that is used to manage content, allowing multiple contributors to create, edit and publish. Content in a CMS is typically stored in a database and displayed in a presentation layer based on a set of templates like a website.

Source:
Content management system. (n.d.). Optimizely. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/content-management-system/ 


Digital Equity

Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning and access to essential services.

Source:
National Digital Inclusion Alliance. (2022, August 29). Definitions: Digital equity. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/ 


Intranet

An intranet is a computer network for sharing information, easier communication, collaboration tools, operational systems, and other computing services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access by outsiders.

Source:
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, November 29). Intranet. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet


Interface/User Interface: 

A user interface, also called a UI or simply an interface, is the means in which a person controls a software application or hardware device. A good user interface provides a user-friendly experience, allowing the user to interact with the software or hardware in a natural and intuitive way.

Source:
TechTerms. (2009, March 31). User Interface Definition. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://techterms.com/definition/user_interface


User (website user)

An individual accessing a website through a web browser.

User Experience

User experience (or ‘’ux’’ in short), by definition, is an individual’s experience with a company. It encompasses all aspects of the consumer’s experience, including everything they see, hear and their emotional reactions. There are many different factors that affect the user experience.  But the main ones are usability, usefulness, credibility, desirability, accessibility and value.

In terms of web design, user experience best practices focus on making a website easy to use and appealing to consumers. This is done by using content, image, and media to create powerful emotional responses.

Source:
Colman, Z. (2021, October 13). What is User Experience and Why is It Important For Users And Websites? Creatitive. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://creatitive.com/what-is-user-experience/


Website Migration

Website migration is when a website moves from one environment to another, or the domain name of a website changes. Usually, changes in the location, platform, layout, content, architecture, or UX of the website, all constitute site migration.

Source:
Bhati, K. B. (2022, September). Website Migration and its Types. Infidigit. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.infidigit.com/blog/website-migration/


Website Platform

An umbrella term for a website's infrastructure. A web platform may refer to the server software, such as Microsoft's IIS or Apache, or to the website authoring software such as Dreamweaver or WordPress.

Source:
PCMag. (n.d.). Definition of Web platform. PCMAG. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/web-platform


Website Template

A website template is a predesigned resource that shows the structure for the comprehensive layout and display features of any website. It is provided by various suppliers to help make Web design a lot easier for designers. A website template is also known as a web page template or page template.

Source:
Techopedia. (2015, July 1). Website Template. Techopedia.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4899/website-template

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Jeffco redesigning our district, intranet and school websites?

As we strive to fulfill our mission to provide a world-class education that prepares all Jeffco students for bright and successful futures as local and global citizens, it has become clear that we are in need of a robust web solution to adequately serve our diverse schools and community.

Jeffco Public Schools is embarking on a comprehensive redesign to provide our users with sustainability, growth and compliance today and for many years to come. In addition, we are redesigning our websites so we can provide:

  • Focused content through an intuitive user experience via a modern, user-friendly website platform;
  • A mobile-first, responsive design for a seamless user experience across digital devices;
  • A platform that allows Jeffco to champion digital equity and accessibility in service of our diverse school communities;
  • An easy-to-use website platform to our school staff
 

Who is involved in the website redesign project?

Our Communications Services team and IT team have partnered together to lead the website redesign project.

Additionally, team members from across schools and departments are supporting the website redesign project to ensure all perspectives and voices are accounted for throughout the process. This includes members of our Web Governance Committee, Web Editors Group, as well as incorporating the feedback from all of Team Jeffco.


How are you involving stakeholders (staff, families and community members) in the website redesign process?

We are asking our families, students and community members to make their voice heard by providing feedback on their experiences with current Jeffco websites through a survey during the month of January 2023. We will also be offering future opportunities to participate via a focus group and user testing this summer.

 

How will the new website vendor be selected?

The website vendor will be chosen through an open and competitive selection process this winter/spring.

 

Who can I contact with questions about the website redesign project?

Please contact [email protected] for questions.

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