Marketing and Communication

One UQ Web Roadmap Program

UQ has committed to the one UQ Web Roadmap Program, aimed at creating a greatly improved user experience for everyone who interacts with our external web channel.

Part of this means a consolidated information architecture and navigational structure, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of websites UQ presents.

Ultimately, this benefits customers who will be able to access UQ information and services through a single website experience – that is, a consistent look-

and-feel and page layouts for related content, and shared navigation – and by reducing the risk of out-of-date and conflicting content.

Governance

The One UQ Web Roadmap is governed by the Digital Presence Procedure and associated standards. Read more about the:

Digital Presence Procedures [6.20.05] Information architecture standard Domains and web addresses standard

UQ Researchers website it getting an uplift! Soon, the researchers.uq.edu.au website will be uplifted to the new Drupal platform and will be called UQ Experts. Academics and Researchers should ensure their profiles are up to date. See UQ Experts to learn more.

Timeline

There is a rolling program of work targeting the following high-level sites at the following times:

  • Study – completed in 2023
  • Research –completed August 2024
  • News –  underway, completing late-2024

As we progress through this program of work, many existing sites will need to be consolidated, forming part of these greater sites. We are including the ability to share stories, news and events, scholarships and other key content between what are currently separate, siloed sites.

This will benefit content owners by:

  • improving the SEO (search engine optimisation)
  • improving the discoverability of content
  • ensuring access to new functionality as it is developed
  • providing an improved experience for site publishers, with the new content management system being easier to use.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, new websites are not being approved. If you want to discuss a website request, contact the Websites Channel Team – we'll work with you to help achieve specific goals within the possibilities of current infrastructure. 

Phase 1

An overview of the Phase 1 changes scheduled for release on 22 and 23 June includes:

  • redesigned homepage and level 1 landing pages (Study, Research, Partners & Community and About) 
  • new navigation structure 
  • new secondary and primary header links 
  • new mega menu: Under each primary link will be a mega menu, which will show everything at a glance in that section 
  • new footer 
  • new webpages to fill existing content gaps. 

Some of these changes are illustrated below: 

Header / navigation

Research Website Updates

Research websites are being uplifted to be more accessible and to create a platform that showcases UQ's research capability as a top research university. Key improvements include the separation of information to make a clearer distinction between content for internal and external audiences .

We interviewed users to understand what they were looking for and tested new content to ensure a better user experience.

Research Support website (internal focus)

On 1 March 2024, the migration of content from the old Research website (uq.edu.au/research) to the new Research Support site (research-support.uq.edu.au) was completed.  Content on this site is internally focused, primarily for UQ staff, students, and researchers.

Research website (external focus)

The remaining public-facing research content on research.uq.edu.au was released in August 2024. Joining existing content about Research Partnerships, the landing pages covering key internal topics (e.g. Ethics) will provide a high-level outline for reputation and accountability, linking to internal sites where relevant. There are a number of temporary redirects in place, however we recommend you check your saved pages to ensure you are linking to the current page. Refer to the Redirects Document. 

Governance

New governance arrangements for website management and maintenance will apply to the new sites, aligning with the overarching web governance requirements outlined in the Digital Presence Procedure. The Office of the DVCRI will be the product owner of the new sites, with Mark Witham, as the Digital Presence Coordinator responsible for day-to-day management.

UQ Experts

 UQ Experts website (external focus)

The website researchers.uq.edu.au will be uplifted and will be called UQ Experts. The new site will have improved usability, a modern interface that's consistent with UQ's brand, and a redesigned search and browse experience to improve profile findability. The name change to 'expert' is intended to reflect a more inclusive focus of our academic staffs' expertise across research, teaching and engagement activities. 

UX Experts profiles (formally Researcher profiles) are being refreshed. A key change is your availability for supervision will be more prominent on the website. In the Academic Portal ensure you check your supervision status is correct before 16 August. If left unchecked after the launch, your status will default to 'available for supervision'. Your availability is key for helping prospective HDR students identify potential supervisors. 

To help you showcase your skills and experience, we have created a  Guide to updating your UQ Experts profile. This will give you guidance on updating your profile to maximise its performance in web searches and how to best convey your expertise to media, other researchers and potential HDR students. 

A short video on 'The keys to creating an effective Expert Profile' is also now available. 

Contact us

If you have any questions about the One UQ Web Roadmap program, contact the Websites Channel team.