- Maker: Tatyana Booz and Holland Cutrell
- Genre: Website Creation
- Level: Graduate
- Program: Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
- Course: WRIT 5340: Multimodality & Digital Media
- Instructor: Dr. Eric Mason
- Semester Created: Winter 2021
Description:
The Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) website redesign document is a Word Document with multiple suggestions to update the current MEEC website located within Nova Southeastern University’s database. The document contains a section for updates to content already on the site, a section for additional or supplementary content MEEC can employ to increase their online presence, and a section that goes into greater detail than summarized in the first 2 sections. This document aims to streamline MEEC’s website to allow for greater user activity and accessibility and strengthen MEEC’s digital experience for their audience.
A 360 Tour has been created to allow potential visitors to visualize the facility before they make their visit alongside the website. Also, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 360 tour will allow for the community to still engage with the MEEC and its programs in the comfort of their own homes. The 360 Tour showcases the facility and the programs that the MEEC has. Similar to that of the website, it will serve as a means of easy accessibility to all of the things they offer the community.
Reflection:
Though a fairly daunting task at first glance, once I began analyzing and reconfiguring the content of MEEC’s website, I’ll admit I felt more like a “pro,” which was the goal of project 5. One of the most salient factors I made myself aware of was the importance of providing multiple options for a single change. Since the website is not mine to work on and develop, I knew I needed to provide a few different avenues for web developers for MEEC to consider. I was also mindful of keeping my language non-assertive, meaning I opted to use verbiage like “suggest, consider, etc.” rather than more aggressive terms such as “order, demand, prove, etc.” The organization was my biggest issue when tackling this project because I had to figure out the best way to present my suggestions and decide what category they fell into. Also, knowing how specific to be when referencing things proved to be a challenge, as well.
I genuinely enjoyed taking on this project because it challenged me to use an interface that I am unfamiliar with. At first, I was a little confused about how to use Thinglink but, with assistance from Dr. Mason, I was able to maneuver and create a tour that encompasses everything the facility has to offer. Thinglink allows one to tinker with multiple modes (i.e., pictures, video, and audio) to capture the true essence of the place one is creating the tour for. With the lack of technological resources for their potential visitors, I believe that the web design and the 360 tours will give visitors the agency to measure what the facility offers and compare it to their needs. The 360 tour is a great resource during the pandemic because, at times, visitors do not want to visit the site in person due to the risk of contracting the virus; therefore, a 360 tour is a great alternative to that option. Also, the intention of the tour is for it to be embedded into the website as an additional resource. The website and the 360 tours should encourage a lot of foot traffic for the organization. Below is the link as well as the QR code for the MEEC’s 360 Tour.
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1436423490474344449
