Testers Needed: Campus Directory Ready for Public Beta Review

The University of Arkansas' new online directory of staff, students and faculty is ready for a public beta test.

The new directory improves on the existing site, which went live in 2000, by offering:  

• Directory information for both individuals and departments 
• Integration with the new campus map 
• Direct download of contact information 
• Mobile support 
• More intuitive navigation  

The new directory will be implemented in February, said Chris Nixon, director of digital design and development.

"This public testing phase is critical because it allows us to solicit feedback across campus," Nixon said. "There is a feedback link on the test site and we encourage everyone to tell us what they think."

Work began in June 2011 to create the new campus directory. The university stopped printing a campus directory after the 2010-2011 edition.

The university will save an estimated 28 tons of paper over five years by not printing the campus directory.

The online campus directory was developed after the Digital Design and Development department of University Relations produced a new campus map in August.

"The map and directory are both part of our ongoing Campus Data Project to develop an open platform that allows us to provide data services to campus web applications rather than isolated data that isn't connected," Nixon said.