Consistency
Summary: Consistency is important across University of Melbourne web sites - the web templates provide a framework for consistency.
The problem
Web site owners often want their web site to be different, or stand out in some way but people who use the site rarely notice or care about this. Instead they are usually much more concerned about getting to the information they want quickly and easily.
Inconsistency can be harmful to this - every time a user has to learn that links are a different colour, or clicking an icon or menu item behaves in a different way, they are potentially blocked from achieving their goals on the website.
Consistency across web sites is important
University of Melbourne web sites and pages should have a consistent look, feel and style.
This is important as:
- Users become used to the consistent design and so can navigate the site with greater ease when navigational elements (for example page footer links) and terms are the same or similar throughout the web site.
- Consistency helps create a sense of shared vision and purpose.
- A common look and feel helps build trust in both the web site and its content.
Web templates help consistency
The web templates should be used by site owners to create University web sites. These templates can be customised by site owners so that the built-in accessibility and usability features of the template are not harmed.
Detailed instructions for customising templates are available on the Web Development Wiki.