Explore Programs Version 4.0

Over the last three months, we’ve devoted some time to a visual and accessibility refresh of University Division’s Explore Programs tool.

Usability Improvements:

• New “Reset” button to clear out all interests selected
• Indicators show when a collapsed group contains selected interests
• The heading of the interest selection panel updates to show how many interests are selected
• The match level legend shows only when it is relevant (i.e., when interests have been selected)

Accessibility Improvements:

• Colors have been reviewed and updated to meet WCAG accessibility requirements
• Keyboard-only access has been improved throughout the application
• Aria (screen reader) enhancements make it easier for students with visual impairments to use the tool
• Search Engine Optimization is improved 9%; Performance remains at 100% in standards-based audits

Side-by-side Comparisons

Landing Page Interface

Legend for interest matching shows only once interests have been selected, indicators for the open/closed state of the interest groups have been added, and color contrasts have been adjusted to meet accessibility standards requirements.

Interest Selection

Number of interests selected is now displayed, indicators are added to groups containing selected interests, reset button is now available (clears all selected interests)

Major View

Layout has been redesigned to work better on mobile.

GenEd Information

A legend has been added describing what GenEd areas are indicated by the GenEd indicators (e.g. “AH”), as well as what is meant by asterisks (only some variable titles are approved for GenEd). Interest tags have been added to GenEd courses and are now visible in the GenEd course display page.

Timeline of the Explore Programs Tool

2009 – Explore Programs wins the NACADA Advising Technology Innovation Award – Certificates of Merit

2016 – Explore Programs is updated and brought into the UD website with its 2016 redesign in OVPUE Web Framework version 1.0

January 2018 – Explore Programs tool migrated into Rivet and mobile accessibility was improved. New data sources allowed for GenEd courses to be linked to interests

August 2018 – Explore Programs was updated with several of accessibility enhancements, as well as mobile improvements and usability improvements