July, 2000
Volume 6, Number 7
Redesigned, improved Web site makes
finding what you need easier, faster
If you log into the Web with
any regularity, you probably
know that Mn/DOT's Web site
has undergone a major
transformation.
The newly designed and
organized site is user-friendly,
offers more navigation choices
and has a standard identity
applied across all department
pages.
"The new look helps unify
our site and makes it easier for
customers to find
information," says Lucy
Render, director,
Communications.
"The new site is the result of
months of planning and
designing. Special thanks go to
the Web Redesign Team—Jerry
Baldwin, Jed Becher, Marjorie
Casey, Kai-Jurgen Huot-Link,
Kay Korsgaard, Cristyn Rybak
and Megan Lewis—who
created the new design and
completely reorganized the
site, and to the many
employees who applied the
new templates (designed by
Jeff Crandall and Mordechai
Dorfman) to their pages," she
says.
"It was a lot of work, but
the Web is a moving target,"
she adds. "Technology and
customer expectations are
changing fast and Mn/DOT's
Web site needed to keep pace."
"In a sense, the work has
just begun," adds Render.
During the course of the next
few months, the Office of
Communications and Web
developers throughout the
agency will continue to modify
and improve the site.
Employees, friends and family
are encouraged to be part of
the process.
"Come and give it a try,"
says Kay Rorsgaard, content
developer. "We want to know
what works and what doesn't
work. We're also interested in
your ideas for future content.
If you look for something and
don't find it, let us know. Your
comments will help us set
priorities for future content
development."
While much has changed
on the outward face of the site,
there have also been
significant changes to the
servers and software that run
behind the scenes to keep the
Web site up and running.
One new feature is a Web
development space that has
been set up on the Mn/DOT
server that hosts the agency's
site.
Before making pages "live,"
developers can send new or
updated pages to the
development space to check
their work. The space works
like a mirror of Mn/DOT's site
and allows users to check links,
"The site also makes
extensive use of 'server side
includes,' " says Jed Becher,
Web technical developer. "A
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Mn/DOT's new Web home page makes it easier for internet users to find transportation-
related information. Kai-Jurgen Huot-Link, Communications, created the design for the
home page.
scripts, graphics and other
elements of the site. Once a
site has been checked, it is sent
to a "publish" directory and
within one minute the page is
visible to the public. "This
reduces the potential for
broken links or graphics
because a page can be tested in
an environment that closely
mimics the live Mn/DOT site,"
explains Marshall Onsrud,
Information Resource
Management.
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server side include is a string of
programming code that is
inserted into every page. This
code refers to a file that tells
the page how to behave. For
example, the standard
IN THIS ISSUE
template on the left-hand side
of every page uses server side
includes to add the Mn/DOT
logo, the "See Orange" logo
and navigation buttons back to
the top level pages."
"Server side includes make
it possible to make changes
across an entire Web site with
one simple command. For
example, if the Mn/DOT logo
were to change, we would
simply need to update the
code in the server side include
file to reference the new logo.
With one change, the
replacement can be made
across the entire site," Becher
explains.
"The new look allows us to
develop and maintain a Web
site that is unified and can
keep up with changes in
Mn/DOT and customer
expectations. It's one more
way we can 'speak with one
voice,'" says Render.
Steve Baker bids farewell	
Ed Cohoon ends 25-year Mn/DOT career	
Telecommuting supports career, educational goals   ..
SALT'S Lee Schulze endows scholarship fund	
Legislative funds advance Moving Minnesota
Dick Stehr, Metro Division engineer,
addresses news reporters at the Capitol to
announce projects Metro can advance as the
result of $560 million in additional funding
approved by the 2000
Minnesota Legislature. The
Legislature allocated $438
million of the total amount
for highway projects in the
Twin Cities metro area and in
Greater Minnesota. The
announcement at the Capitol
was one of several made by
Mn/DOT officials in various
locations around the state.
The allocation includes $177
million for Bottleneck Removal, $177 million
for Corridor Connections, $5 million for
Advantages for Transit plus $100 million in
trunk highway bonds.
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Minnesota Department of Transportation
Office of Communications
Mail Stop 150 Transportation Building
395 John Ireland Boulevard
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
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