Out with the old, in with the news

Back when it all began, Te Waha Nui was nothing but a Wordpress blog. Now it’s a fully-grown version of a live news site that can cater to a multitude of demands.

This latest version of AUT’s student-specific website is a response to the ever-changing needs of both contributors and audience. Senior lecturer and former curriculum leader Dr Helen Sissons explained: “We realised we had more and more multimedia content, as well as an increasing need for people to be able to share stories, so we felt it was time to look at a website that was better able to cater to those needs.”

Through the use of contacts within the university, she found the tech experts who could listen to what was needed and build what was needed.

And the result? “I’m delighted with how it looks. It would appear to have the functionality we need as we prepare to greet our students for the 2017 year,” Dr Sissons said.

AUT web centre manager Norman Goh coordinated the technical processes, beginning with a consultation to identify requirements, producing a wireframe, design and development, and finally, content migration, training and subsequent handover.

While the tasks were fairly straightforward, there were challenges, said Mr Goh.

“We had to try and modernise the site as well as ensure the view on desktop or mobile offered the best user experience. We also had the inclusion of comments which is a different addition to the sites we typically work on.”

Te Waha Nui web editor Natalie Brittan hailed the new website as: “a complete package”.

“We’re excited about its increased capacity for multimedia and are committed to delivering an enhanced user experience.”

All social media platforms are visible and accessible, enabling users to share stories with ease as well as engage with us via our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Soundcloud channels, she added.

“And thanks to the AUT brand team, we have revitalised our logos which complement the new website design.”

Branding is particularly important, Dr Sissons said. “We wanted the branding to be recognisable as a news site; one that was coming from the AUT journalism department.

“It’s very important, because it says ‘this is what we are’.”

The new-look website has had one revamp since the original Wordpress version was created in 2009 by a visiting exchange student.