Web Development How To's
Confused about Web development? Here are a few tips to help take the pain out of the process.
The VUMC Web Team is a division of VUMC Marketing. Part of our mission is to assist Medical Center departments (defined as departments, divisions, centers, labs, etc.) develop and maintain their Web presence in a timely and cost-effective manner. VUMC departments have several Web development options. Some are free and some are not. However, in all cases, before the building begins, departments have some groundwork to do.
The first task is to define your department’s expectations of the Web site. Does it want to display textual information statically or gather responses dynamically via forms or emails? Do you want your patients to be able to schedule appointments, pay fees, etc. on-line? This is also a good time to define your department's location within the institutional structure (i.e. Is your division a sub-section of a larger department?) Does the departmental site have to echo the look and feel of the home department’s site? Have all the right people signed off on the project? Who is going to maintain the site?
Once the expectations and political concerns have been resolved, it is time to move forward by defining the site’s audience(s), begin creating and/or gathering content and images, establish a budget, and finally arrange training for staff members or contact internal or external Web development resources.
