Menu

• Getting Started With SENS
• Personal Web Space
• SEAS/NSM Web Space
• SENS Web Guidelines
• SENS Style Guide
  • Construction
  • Design
  • Usability
  • Accessibility
  • Maintenance
  • Professionalism
• Resources & Links
• Hints & Kinks
• Back to the Web Style Guide Home
• Back to SENS

  

SENS Web Guidelines

UB policies

UB's policies for use of campus electronic resources are posted here: http://www.itpolicies.buffalo.edu/rights-respons/.

SENS recommendations

It is recommended that all SEAS web sites use the following principles when developing web sites that are intended to officially represent the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and its components. For information on how to implement these recommendations, see the SENS Style Guide.

• Construction
  • It is recommended that SEAS web sites be written using valid HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0 and CSS1 (specific requirements may change over time but should reflect current recommendations from the W3C).*
  • Dynamic languages (JavaScript, PHP, Perl, etc.) may be used as long as the final code generated to the user's browser validates to the standard set above.
• Design
  It is recommended that SEAS web sites:
  • be text-based, with graphics used sparingly and as enhancements rather than as necessary elements of navigation (exceptions for image galleries, high-resolution images that demonstrate research, etc. will be detailed in Guidelines).
  • be designed so that the user has ultimate control over how the site is viewed: font sizes, viewable page size, etc. should be scalable to accommodate user preferences.
• Usability
  It is recommended that SEAS web sites:
  • be readable in all major browsers for Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX, including text-only browsers and those that are enhanced for use by disabled visitors.*
  • have consistent navigation, following the search rules established by SENS.
  • support international visitors by using clear, concise English and common terms rather than slang or jargon (except where appropriate), and by monitoring the use of graphic icons to avoid misunderstanding or offense.
• Accessibility
  
  • SEAS web sites must meet the accessibility standards of the State University of New York and the University at Buffalo (i.e., the W3C Content Accessibility Guidelines).*
  • SEAS web sites must comply with New York State Mandatory Technology Standard S04-001, Accessibility of State Agency Web-Based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications.*
• Maintenance
  • It is recommended that SEAS web sites be thoroughly documented, both by commented code and by written instructions for maintenance.
  • Maintenance of academic department web sites is the responsibility of the individual departments. SEAS departmental web sites should have a designated Web Administrator or Web Administration Team to perform maintenance on the sites.
  • Maintenance of SEAS administrative departmental web sites is determined by the departments, the administration, and SENS.
• Professionalism
  • General: Sites hosted on the SEAS web servers are expected to adhere to a standard of professionalism that reflects well on the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the University at Buffalo, and the State University of New York.
  • Copyright: Developers and authors of SEAS web sites are expected to comply with U.S. copyright law and the policies of the University at Buffalo.
  • Plagiarism: SEAS web sites are not to contain plagiarized material. Complaints to SEAS about plagiarized material on a web site will be taken seriously.
  • Appropriateness: Developers of SEAS web sites should be aware of the appropriateness of the material they post, and avoid posting any material that is outside the boundaries of good taste and/or the law.

* Accessibility Note

Any recommendations marked with an asterisk (*) are now required by the NYS Mandatory Technology Standard S04-001.