Wiki Guidelines

Design

Intentionally Minimalist

Users visit wikis to find the information they are seeking. With this in mind, the design of this wiki should optimize information access and present as few distractions as possible. 

A few helpful tips:

•  Negative space, when used effectively, allows the user to engage with the content in an orderly, comfortable fashion. 

• While flashy graphics and animations may work well in the context of an entertainment website, they act as obstacles in the context of a wiki. Avoid using them unless they directly enhance the information being presented.

Content Hierarchy

Proper content hierarchy describes how written content is laid out on the page. There are a number of different patterns that can be utilized to organize content on a webpage, the most common being order of importance. Generally speaking, the most important content should be placed near the beginning of a page while the least important content should be placed near the end. Other organizational patterns include chronological, topical, and sequential order.

Color Scheme

Assigning background colors to specific sections of a page can help break up content and/or highlight its importance. The key is to maintain readability through the use of contrasting colors. In general, black text on a white background works best in the context of a wiki. However, for this wiki we also use grey backgrounds/black text and blue backgrounds/white text in order to set sections of content apart from each other. 

Typography

Proper use of typography should consider legibility, readability, and suitability. The University of Michigan Vice President for Communications style guide provides a thorough set of guidelines concerning typography.  

• For this wiki we use the Simple theme with the Classic font style

Page Building

Pages

Before creating a new page, please review the pages that currently exist in order to see if the content you wish to add is already present elsewhere on the wiki or could be incorporated into another page. Next, decide whether you would like to add a new page or a subpage. 

New page

• • In the editing version of Google Sites, click on 'PAGES' near the upper right hand corner. 

  • Next, click on the + near the bottom right hand corner. When moused over, the icon will transform into a 'New page' icon - click on this icon. 

Add subpage

• • In the editing version of Google Sites, click on 'PAGES' near the upper right hand corner. 

  • Next, find the page that you would like to add your subpage to. 

  • Three vertically aligned dots should appear to the right of the page title when you mouse over it. Click on the three dots, then select 'Add subpage'.

Titles

• • After choosing to add a page, you will be prompted to provide a title for it.

    • The title that you enter will appear in the navigation bar

Headings & Subheadings

Headings will appear as large, blue text while subheadings will appear as slightly smaller, black text - use accordingly.

• To create a heading or subheading:

  • Click anywhere within a text section so that the floating text menu appears

  • Select either the heading or subheading option in the Styles drop-down menu

Backgrounds

For this wiki, we utilize three different background colors in order to set sections of content apart from each other. 

• The blue background (Emphasis 2) should be used for the intro section of a page and the standard footer included on every page.

• The gray background (Emphasis 1) should be used for the resources and contact sections of a page.

• The standard white background (Regular) should be used for all other sections of content.

To change the background color:

• Mouse over the section you would like to modify so that the Section background icon (looks like a painter's palette) appears to the left.

• Click on the Section background icon then select which background color you would like to use. 

Publish

Publishing essentially carries over all of the changes you have made in the editing version of the site to the public version of the site. 

To publish the site:

• Click on the PUBLISH button near the upper right-hand corner. 

  • The PUBLISH button also contains a drop-down menu with options to Unpublish,  View published site, and change Publish settings.

Content Strategy

Considerations when adding/modifying content

Audience

The primary audience for this wiki is communicators throughout the College of Engineering. They tend to be very busy people who are working on a deadline; please be considerate of their time and energy. 

Purpose

The purpose of this site is to provide a go-to resource for these communicators, where they can quickly and easily find the information or resources they need without having to ask around. Therefore, content should be easy to find and succinct in nature. 

Content Formats

Nearly any content format is acceptable as long as it fulfills the purpose of the wiki. 

Accessibility

Google Sites, while easy to edit, build and maintain, pose several barriers to people who use assistive technology like screen readers to access websites. Please consult the Google Sites Accessibility page of this wiki to learn more about these issues as well as some workarounds that can be implemented.