Extensive information is available on UiB's website, but much of it has evolved without any overall control or a common framework. The organisation of the contents and editorial responsibility has been left to chance, and the web pages have been scattered across many different servers and published using different information tools. This is the why the New External Web UiB project was established in January 2006.

User survey carried out
Now the pre-project involving user surveys and specification requirements has been completed, and the main project is ready to start. It is this part of the project which has now received funding from the board, even though the budget for 2008 is not ready yet.

“We have spent a lot of time examining the requirements of our end users, and we have come a long way in terms of organising the information that will be available on the website. We have also invited tenders and chosen a partner for the development of the tool itself," says Bodil Kjelstrup, who is head of the project.  

The users are primarily represented by the prioritised target groups: potential students, researchers at home and abroad, and the general public seeking information. A lot of work has gone into getting to know the users and their needs, among other things through interviews. Emphasis has also been placed on ensuring support for the project in the university’s organisation by establishing reference groups and appointing about 50 contact persons with responsibility for following up the work in their entities. These contact persons have also contributed valuable knowledge about users’ needs seen from UiB’s perspective.

Easier to produce content
"It is our goal that the tool should make it easy for all employees who wish to publish information on our website. If it isn’t easy, then we will have no content on the website, and without content there will be no external web,” maintains Ms Kjelstrup.  

“We will see a gradual upgrade in the years to come as the medium develops further,” says Ms Kjelstrup.  

A pilot version will be launched in selected entities in the spring semester, and the system will be ready for information to be entered in early autumn. The plan is to begin regular operation towards the end of the year.