University Cascade CMS Development
Developing the Texas A&M University -- San Antonio's website on a Cascade CMS environment
Expertise
Client
The Texas A&M University of San Antonio
Timeline
Under 6 weeks
Challenge
The Texas A&M University of San Antonio needed to rework their online presence.
Through Steel Advertising, Standard Beagle stepped in to develop the front and back end of the new page templates.
How might we develop a redesigned website on an existing Cascade framework?
Scope
Development included 4 new page templates which included the homepage and 1-2 key pages, and new navigation and site structure.
Constraints
The existing TAMUSA site was built on a Cascade framework, which needed to stay intact. The timeframe for development was under six week.
Implementation
Implementation included adding the new Cascade templates into the site structure, making revisions to the site navigation approved during the Design phase, and applied the revised navigation hierarchy to the new navigation structure.
Our Goal
Standard beagle’s goal was to create a series of templates that the client could use to build the site. This would require flexibility and scalability.
Our Solution
Standard Beagle created new page templates and a new navigation system to modernize the university’s presence, and allow users to easily find important information on the website.
We developed the new layouts and navigation system using Steel Advertising designs, on the website’s existing Cascade framework.
Results
The new templates were responsive and easy-to-configure in Cascade CMS, with a new scalable and organized mega menu.
We handed off the templates to the in-house website team to transition pages to the new templates. The website launched in July 2022.
Page templates included a parallax scroll, as well as elements that scrolled at different rates for a more engaging and dynamic feel.
Our Process
Understand
Alongside Steel Advertising, we made technical recommendations during the design process.
Functional Requirements
Our aim was to address how the application of the new designs on a Cascade CMS would work, limitations, and technical capabilities.
Because the original site had been built using Velocity Template Language, new work had to be built with the older engine in mind.
Create
Template Build
With high-fidelity designs approved by the client, we began developing the new templates onto the existing framework.
- Each template could support older content
- The complex grids were able to scroll on a parallax
- Elements were built to be flexible and grow with larger amounts of content
- Certain elements were built to scroll at different rates
