Developing web sites

Outsourcing web development

Creative Services at Public Affairs offers site architecture, project management, writing, design, and coding services at competitive rates for campus units.

Contact us for an estimate on your web project
Purchasing guidelines and FAQs for hiring a web designer
Campus Preferred Vendor list - Public Affairs reviewed the work of vendors in communications related fields for Purchasing's preferred list. Score sheets and work samples from those vendors are available at the Public Affairs suite on the fifth floor of the Illini Union Bookstore.

On-campus resources for creating web sites

Create dynamic calendars, forms, and surveys without hiring a programmer

Web Services at Public Affairs offers the Web Toolbox free of charge (university log-in required). We create tools and host workshops to help faculty, staff members, and students, especially those with limited computer experience or technical ability. You can customize the calendars and forms to look just like your site, or choose from our predesigned templates.

Form-builder and survey tools

Set-up online registration, surveys, feedback forms, or any other type of form you need. These tools allow people to fill out your forms online and automatically put the results into an Excel spreadsheet, so you don't have to keep track of paper forms.

Learn more about the form-builder and the survey tool
Log in to use the Toolbox to create a form or survey

Calendar tool

Build a dynamic calendar that can be edited by any faculty, staff member, or student you designate.

Learn more about the calendar tool
Log in to use the Toolbox and create a calendar

Web Builder

Create a web site without having to know HTML. This content publisher enables users with little technical experience to create dynamic, database-driven web sites.

Log in to use the Toolbox

Web project management guide

A step-by-step guide to creating sites that connect with your key audiences—on time and on budget. Topics include

Web development FAQs

Get advice on

Campus Webmasters' Group

Whether you're making your first web page or are an experienced programmer, this group provides presentations and networking opportunities that can help you do your job better. From this site you can

join the webmaster's listserv
view the presentation archives and find out what's coming soon
sign up for the next annual webmaster's forum or see what you missed last year

University of Illinois Datamasters' Group

A professional environment for technical architects, database administrators, and data analysts that fosters sharing information, professional development, and institutional standards.

Campus guidelines

Campus web development guidelines
Rules for user testing - if you test the usability of your site, how to make sure your test is in compliance with federal guidelines
Using the campus logo
Creating new logos

Accessibility recommendations

Accessibility guidelines from Disability Resources and Educational Services on how to create your site so it's accessible to disabled users
CSS, Dreamweaver templates, and accessibility presentations

Accessibility tools

Text-only transcoder

If you have an existing site and no current plans for a redesign, you can still improve the accessibility of your site. The campus has purchased LIFT, a software package that automatically generates a text-only version of any campus site and offers this easy-to-use technology free to all departments.

This is also a great solution for making your site accessible to PDAs and cell phones.

Read the instructions on how to use LIFT.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Let us know.