Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research Website Renovation

Abstract

The main goal of this project was to improve the web presence of the Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research (VTCAR). With that intention, a team of 3 Computer Science undergraduate students from Virginia Tech was put in contact with Dr. Julee Farley, who was the client for this project. Dr. Farley is a member of the administration at the VTCAR and worked as the research coordinator. At the time, she maintained the center’s old website by periodically updating events and research opportunities. After seeing the websites of other organizations and comparing them to the center’s old website, Dr. Farley wanted the center’s website to be redesigned. She wanted a website that was better organized, easier to maintain, and more aesthetically appealing than their current layout. For example, the new site was to provide information to parents who are looking to have an assessment conducted, donors who wish to give aid or volunteer, and trainees who seek educational materials. Furthermore, the overall layout and design of the website was to be attractive and modern, but also functional and usable. The site was to demonstrate how active the VTCAR is in the community through attractive pages and pictures while also showcasing the personnel that work at the center with descriptive, biographical pages. Ultimately, in pursuit of these enhancements, the team gathered requirements, designed a completely new website, prototyped the designs, and performed usability and performance testing on such prototypes. All of this was done before a final version was implemented, which was then accepted by the client. The finished product has been delivered and is accessible at: www.vtcar.science.vt.edu. The report describes the documentation, processes, and results related to this effort.

Description
A collection containing the final report and presentation of the team that renovated and redesigned the Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research's website in the Spring of 2016. The report and presentation both contain an overview (at different levels of detail) of the work that the team completed. The report also contains guides to assist users and developers of the website in the future. Finally, this collection includes a .zip file that contains the photographic media that was used while developing the website.
Keywords
website, ensemble, CMS, renovation, Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research, VTCAR, CS4624, content management system, website development, Ensemble CMS, Autism, formative evaluation, usability study
Citation