Faculty and students returning from Spring Break will be welcomed back by two new Duke websites. Developers officially launched the redesigned homepage for Duke's website and the new Duke Today-an online source for the Duke community-March 15.
The previous homepage served too many functions and audiences at once, and officials decided to reexamine the site's purpose, said David Jarmul, associate vice president for news and communications.
"With its focus on external audiences the new homepage seeks to provide easy navigation and to promote Duke's strategic priorities, such as the arts and global health," Jarmul noted. "We've chosen a design that highlights these elements."
To better serve faculty, staff and other members of the Duke community, developers created Duke Today, Jarmul said, adding that the new site contains all the stories and content featured on the old homepage.
Designers added new material to Duke Today-including daily updates on campus events, a "Duke in the News" section and a "News You Can Use" section on everything from local work opportunities to security alerts.
"People on campus who've been using the Duke homepage as their personal homepage or preferred Duke search site should switch to Duke Today," Jarmul said. "They'll find Duke Today much more interesting and useful. There's no need for them to visit the Duke homepage much anymore."
Aside from the physical makeover, the phone directory search is now built into the new search tool on both websites. The search engine displays both weblink and directory search results on the same page.
"These new sites are part of a larger plan to improve communications at Duke," Jarmul said, adding that Duke Today replaced the University's publication, Dialogue, which produced its last issue several weeks ago.
Officials said they have received positive feedback from users who read the "Top Stories" featured in Duke Today.
"The stories have been lively and inviting, covering everything from the Grant Hill exhibit at the Nasher [Museum of Art] to a humorous look at how Duke fans get ready for basketball games," Jarmul said. "People also like being able to personalize Duke Today with their own links and news feeds."
Senior Tiana Mack agreed that the redesigned homepage is better than the old version. "It portrays Duke in a more humanitarian light, and it makes it seem as if Duke is more community-intensive," she said. "Also it shows that Duke is moving toward a more research-oriented focus."
The new Duke Today attracts a different type of student, Mack added.
"It has more pictures of people instead of that cold Chapel on the old homepage," she said. "I think more people will feel included, even if they're not college students."
Other students said the new design will not affect how often they use the Duke sites.
"I didn't have a problem with the old site, but the new one is definitely more informative," sophomore Matthew Johnson said. "Personally, I'm usually going to a specific site like ACES, dining or housing, so the news stories and things like that are mostly superfluous. But the new site seems like it would be better for people who are just looking around."
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