Interface Design for Integrating Disparate Web Sites
Mark Adams, Truman Library & Museum, USA
Tom Kochtanek, University of Missouri, USA
http://www.trumanlibrary.org

Mini-Workshop: Design

This presentation will document first hand the decisions made in the design and implementation of two separate web sites into a single cohesive site.

The Project WhistleStop site (http://www.whistlestop.org) focuses on digitized educational resources including primary source materials such as: Presidential correspondence, handwritten letters by President Truman, audio files, video clips, as well as interactive games aimed at the K-12 target audience.

Similarly, the Truman Library technical staff developed its own web site that focuses on the programs and resources of the Truman Presidential Library and Museum. The web site is located at http://www.trumanlibrary.org. The target audience includes researchers, local citizens, and the general public. Within this site are links to Project WhistleStop, and additional educational offerings aimed at K-12 students. At the conclusion of Project WhistleStop funding, the decision was made to continue both efforts and to create a new site that combines the two separately developed Web sites.

The presentation will include technical and design issues, resource identification, and target audience identification. Technical issues include interface design, file naming conventions, navigational considerations, reconciliation of coding languages, and other relevant concerns. The goal of the design team was to unify the "look , feel and functionality" of two separately developed Web sites, which had been developed for differing audiences with different funding sources. Decisions relating to resources and content include inclusion, exclusion, and consolidation decisions, and how content and resources will be depicted in the new Web site.

The presentation closes with general observations on developing blended Web sites that seek to combine previous efforts done by separate but related entities.