OUCS: IT Support Staff Services (ITS3)

Review of IT support staff web pages

TP 346.001

Malcolm Austen

May 2002


Contents:

  1. Finding them - the route through the maze
  2. Their purpose - why so many different pages
  3. What's to be done - making it better

(Where ITS3 appears in the text, read IT Support Staff Sevices.)


1. Finding them - the route through the maze

Excluding those clever-clogs who actually try using the search facility to find things, I surmise that people looking for IT support staff pages will start from either the University's front page or the OUCS front page. I shall, therefore, look at these two starting points with a view to figuring out how readers might click their way through to the target pages.

University of Oxford Homepage http://www.ox.ac.uk/

There is an IT info link right down at the bottom of the page but I fear that many readers will (as I did initially) conclude that this page offers nothing obviously specific to IT or IT Support Staff . I imagine those who don't spot the IT info link will opt for the Staff link, or perhaps the Services link.

University of Oxford: Staff http://www.ox.ac.uk/staff/

The Staff page doesn't have any links that are obviously appropriate to ITSS either but ... lo ... the dark blue left panel that is common to all University pages at this level contains a link entitled IT Information (this leads to the same page as IT info at the foot of the front page). It seems slightly odd to me that this link is important enough to appear on the left panel of every second level page but not important enough to appear in the body of any of them!

University of Oxford: Services http://www.ox.ac.uk/services/

This doesn't offer anything particularly obvious either although the eagle eyed might spot that OUCS is listed as a service to students (but we are not a facilty and neither do we support staff, apparently). Still, IT Information appears on the left blue panel so it could be worse.

IT in Oxford University http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/

Taking the IT info link from the front page or from the left blue bar on second level pages we get to this page. From here, it's obvious which link to follow for ITSS information ...


Oxford University Computing Services http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/

If, instead of starting from the University's front page, we start from the OUCS front page, how do we fare? - Very well indeed. The left panel under General Links contains direct references to both the IT in Oxford and the IT Support Staff Information pages. There is just one point of confusion here, thses pages refer directly to the destination URLs whereas the links on www.ox.ac.uk all refer to redirected pages on the www.ox.ac.uk server - this could (or rather should) be cleaned up!

Full marks to those ITSS who decide that the OUCS front page is a better starting point!


IT Support Staff information http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ITSS/

So, that brought us at last to the University's main page of information for IT Support Staff. This page is stuffed full of references to technical pages that are likely to be important to ITSS. I've no wish to criticise it for that but the first paragraph does seem rather weak and prone to being overlooked.

In that first paragraph there is a link to the ITSS Group but the text fails to include that magic word Group that raises it from merely for ITSS to the image of a support group. It the reader notices that link and grasps its significance they are taken to ...

IT Support Staff Group Homepage http://www.itssg.ox.ac.uk/

This ought really to be reachable without quite so much foresight on the part of the reader.

For the moment the important thing to note is that down in the bottom right are two links that may or may not be noticed in a hurried scan of the page. One links says ITSSG Official Pages and the other link says IT Support Staff Master Index. I don't think either of those give a true impression of where they will lead. The first is plain confusing, after all I'm on the home page of www.ITSSG.ox.ac.uk, surely that's official! Anyway, let's look at what they offer ...

University of Oxford: ITSS Group http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/

This 'official' page turns out to be a University-branded page that concentrates on the ITSSG as a core committee representing ITSS. Its main effect on me is to leave me questioning whether the ITSSG is a collective term for the all ITSS in the University or whether it is actually just a term for the committee, I'll return to this point later.

University of Oxford: IT Support Staff http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/support/

This is the page linked as IT Support Staff Master Index although the word master has no great prominence of the page itself (that is, it appears neither in the title nor in any of the headings).

This is, at last, the page that someone new in the ITSS role ought to find early on. I'm not sure the page completely fulfills its declared purpose but that can wait for later consideration. My main concern is that is takes so much clicking and linking to get to this page.

Both this and the previous 'Official' page seem to only be reachable via a tortuous route and yet they claim to be the official University pages on the subjects. Their existence seems to be primarily driven by a red-tape requirement to compete a set on the main University IT web pages.

[I'm told this page was the target of the Universitiy's top level IT info links until Sebastian created the current IT in Oxford University page.]


2. Their purpose - why so many different pages?

There seem to be five pages that specifically warrant discussion (and mending suggestions) about their content. With other pages, their content may not be within the remit of this survey but a case may be put for the placement of links.

IT in Oxford University http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/

While it is physically on the OUCS web site, its logical positioning and linkage from the University pages (coupled with its lack of either sets' styling) makes it unclear whether it is actually an OU or an OUCS page. Its purpose is clear enough, it is intended to provide an overview of IT provision for potential users, not for Support Staff. Therefore it isn't, in fact, directly of concern to ITS3.

IT Support Staff information http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ITSS/

This page is clearly for Support Staff and aims to provide a set of quick links to the more common web resources that ITSS will need in their day to day work. This page should clearly receive specific attention from ITS3. It isn't immediately clear why /oxford/ appears in the URL but the proposals later will replace this page with the new ITS3 front page.

IT Support Staff Group Homepage http://www.itssg.ox.ac.uk/

This is the homepage for the ITSSG, that's clear enough. The question I would like to address later is whether it is clear enough just what the ITSSG is. As long as it is understood that this 'Group' is actually a University committee then it isn't technically of concern to ITS3 ... however ... the reality is that there will be a lot of overlap in areas of activity and of the people carrying out that activity.

University of Oxford: ITSS Group http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/

Well, I've already said this page's primary role seems to be that of 'red-tape'. It doesn't seem to contain anything that hasn't already been linked to from earlier in the discovery chain. Subject to retaining the 'red-tape' essentials, either ITS3 or ITSSG could develop this page if they felt it appropriate.

University of Oxford: IT Support Staff http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/support/

This page has less of a red-tape role and the content has more scope and more direct relevence to someone new to the ITSS role. We already have a page that is focussed on the technical pages that ITSS might need to refer to, this page provides more in the way of support service links and so is a clear candidate for development by ITS3.


3. What's to be done - making it better

University of Oxford Homepage http://www.ox.ac.uk/

However much we would like a direct ITSS link from here, I don't think we'll justify it. Hopefully we can ensure the ITSS pages can be located by 90% or readers with just two clicks. Someone looking for ITSS pages will probably head for either the Staff or Services link if they miss the IT info link at the foot of the page.

Actions:

  1. Change IT info link to avoid the redirection.
  2. Ditto the IT Information link to on all second level pages.
  3. Check lower level pages on www.ox.ac.uk.

University of Oxford: Staff http://www.ox.ac.uk/staff/

'IT information' appears on the left, blue panel. The page itself is very much aimed at staff in general who ought to be given a direct link to IT in Oxford University http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ in the 'Support Services' section. perhaps more importantly, it would seem worth asking for an IT Support Staff link in the 'Staff Organisations' category which already has some more focussed entries in it. A link to the (revamped) IT Support Staff information http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ITSS/ page is probably the most appropriate to request.

Actions:

  1. Request additional link to IT in Oxford University.
  2. Request additional link to IT Support Staff information, to be replaced by a link to the new ITS3 page when it is in place.

University of Oxford: Services http://www.ox.ac.uk/services/

Even though it is on the left, blue panel, I think the 'Academic and Staff Support' section should have a link to IT in Oxford University http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/. A link to IT Support Staff information http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ITSS/ would be useful too, maybe we could justify requesting an entry in the 'See also' list although it is really a 'See maybe'.

Actions:

  1. Request additional link to IT in Oxford University.
  2. Request additional link to IT Support Staff information, to be replaced by a link to the new ITS3 page when it is in place.

Oxford University Computing Services http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/

This page has clear and direct links to satisfy both IT users and ITSS so there's nothing to quibble about here.

IT in Oxford University http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/

It would be good to have this linked directly from both the 'Staff' and 'Services' second-level pages (actions above).

The burning question is why this page is styled as it it, being neither a University page nor an OUCS page. Of course, it's history - but history that should be re-written! This page isn't specifically intended for ITSS so it doesn't really come within the remit of this review so there isn't any more to be said about it other than it being an unnecessary step through the maze to the ITSS pages.

The style of this page suggests that it has, for the moment, got left behind in the general revamp of the OUCS web site. I trust that restyling is imminent? I would suggest that the wording be changed from:

are provided by the central Computing Services(OUCS), by departments and by colleges

to

are provided by departments, by colleges and by the central Computing Services(OUCS)

in the hope that it might help encourage people to go to their ITSS before coming to OUCS. The page is aimed at users rather than ITSS and seems to fit the bill.

Actions:

  1. Ask about plans for restyling this page.
  2. Think about whether we (or ITSS) would like the contents changed.

IT Support Staff information http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/oxford/ITSS/

This is the main page of technical information for ITSS. As already commented, the link to the ITSSG pages could be more prominent and better described. In general the content is generally fine but it needs regular review.

This page is the one (in the right place) that should become the new home page for ITS3. It could usefully be restyled along the lines of the OUCS home page but with ITSS biased content. The dynamic virus news could be expanded to maybe the half dozen most recent outbreaks (taking the 'About OUCS' space) - and maybe the top hoaxes too. The training calendar could be replaced by a new dataset of ITSS events. The direct link to the status display should stay but some direct information could be provided. Ether some key services (herald, JANET, ..) could have traffic lights on the page or perhaps it would be possible to automatically flag anything that wasn't green. Replication of the status display's newsflash message may be worthwhile along, possibly, with a more specifically focussed ITSSflash message facility to cater for status information that we might prefer not to 'frighten the kiddies' with.

Actions:

  1. Create a replacement page (to become the ITS3 front page) in www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ITS3/ - this will recycle technology from the OUCS front page wherever possible.
    1. Replace OUCS courses by ITSS event (in newly created section of existing database).
    2. Provide additional virus information.
    3. Provide additional status information.
    4. Technical links to be provided on the JavaScript drop-down menus.
    5. Provide new 'ITSSflash' message facility.
    6. Etc.
    7. Etc.

IT Support Staff Group Homepage http://www.itssg.ox.ac.uk/

A direct link from the University's second level 'Academic and Staff Support' page would seem to be in order. The content and style of the ITSSG site is a separate consideration.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this page/site as long as you have it clear in your head that the ITSSG is a University committee and not a group composed of all ITSS. I think the University's nomenclature can lead to confusion but we are unlikely to change it! There could usefully be a collective term for those registered as ITSS - other than simply ITSS.

[Jane suggests Registered ITSS or Ritss, like the crackers presumably!]

Some of the content of this site might move into ITS3 territory although there is no urge to do so. The calendar of events is almost certain to move in order to provide a dynamic feed to the proposed ITS3 page, that doesn't mean it won't be linked to as it now is, but the presentation will change and the URL may show as being back on the OUCS site.

Actions:

  1. A consequence of the above, new ITS3 page, the ITSS calendar will have to be rebuilt to display from the new data source.
  2. Generally liaise ... with ourselves since we will presumably be maintaining the ITSSG pages anyway.

University of Oxford: ITSS Group http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/

The University styling and some of the content are 'requirements', beyond that we have some (reasonable?) degree of freedom and should use it. More importantly perhaps it the matter of this page being so hard to find. Other than links from the ITSSG site itself, it can only be reached (to my knowledge) from:

Information & Communications Technology Committee: Sub-groups of the ICTC
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ictc/oxonly/001123/ict0021.shtml
Colleges' IT Group minutes
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/colleges/papers/may00.html
ITSSG Training annual report(s)
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/reports/annualreport00.html
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/reports/annualreport01.html
OxTalent
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/oxtalent/oxford.html

As this page is hard to find and poorly linked, it seems better to concentrate of equiping it with outbound pointers rather than putting any significant content into it.

Actions:

  1. Ensure anyone who does find this page has a useful set of links back to the real world.

University of Oxford: IT Support Staff http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/support/

It isn't clear that there are really any University requirements placed on this page, it just looks that way at first sight. The page is hard to get to, apart from links from the previous page and from the ITSSG pages, the only links I can find are on:

Colleges' IT Group minutes
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/colleges/papers/may00.html
ITSSG Training annual report(s)
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/reports/annualreport00.html
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itssg/reports/annualreport01.html
ITTEG training pointers
http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/itteg/trainingpointers.html

It seems to me that this page just contains a subset of the information that should be available from the new ITS3 front page. Rather than duplicate the information here it would be better to replace this page by a redirection to the new ITS3 front page (taking the useful content from here onto the ITS3 front page of course).

Actions:

  1. Redirect browsers to the ITS3 front page (when that is in place).

Malcolm Austen, May 2002.