cuTheme Update – November 2023

For the past several months, we have been working away on cuTheme, our newest web template. We are excited to share the latest updates and announce that we are close to launching.

Overview

• Our initial pilot of cuTheme closed early last year. We paused the installation of cuTheme to work on a new version.
• Since then we have seen many advances in the WordPress environment
• We applied what we learned from the pilot. And we developed an entirely new version of cuTheme in a modern hosting environment.
• We recently completed the testing phase of this brand-new version and are implementing the feedback we received to make improvements and fix all bugs
• We’re also putting the finishing touches on our migration plan, training, and documentation
• We plan to start the rollout of the new and improved version of cuTheme in January 2024!

Findings and Lessons Learned

The main goal of our testing phase was to learn about usability for our clients. How was the transition to the new theme, a block-based system? The editing experience? What worked (or didn’t)? And what could be improved or added?

Additionally, we wanted to test the technology – our servers, the software (responsiveness and bugs), and the multisite platform that cuTheme runs on.

Thank you so much to all of our testers!! The feedback is so valuable in creating the best possible web theme for the Carleton community.

1. We need some more functionality (new blocks!)

A few things that were noted by clients as missing – a Quick Links or Spotlight block, accordions (for things like FAQs), the ability to add a gray background to blocks.

2. We need to clarify some things

The editing experience is a big change and we’ve taken note of some of the things that people found a bit confusing.

To address this we:

• are in the process of updating documentation,
• adding training videos to each section,
• adding a tips section for some of the most frequently asked questions, and
• creating a quick start guide.

View the Latest cuTheme Tips on our Training Site

• Show page and block settings
• How to add a block below columns
• Change your banner style
• Drag images into pages directly from your computer

*Please note you need to be connected to VPN in order to view the links above

Tips We are Working on

• Different ways to work with video (embed block vs. video post)
• Three ways to easily add blocks to your page

Training and Documentation Updates

• Adding tutorial videos to all sections
• Adding information and examples to new blocks as developed (for example, spotlight)

Please free to peruse our training and documentation site.

3. We fixed some bugs!

Bugs that are Fixed

• Unable to add text to buttons

Bugs we are Working on

• Hyperlink in the alert box
• Stat block – Up/Down arrows not showing (Chrome, Sonoma)
• Text image block – the image does not appear on the left in the backend, and bullets in the backend also appear oddly
• Need space/delimiter between building and address in events
• Wide image – Button width settings not working correctly

We are still working our way through all of the detailed feedback (thank you) so more to come!

4. The Technology is Solid

cuTheme now works in a WordPress multisite environment on a brand-new server. This makes things more scalable, plus way faster for us to install, and configure new sites. This translates to a better experience for our clients.

One thing we are addressing is caching issues. We’ve noted issues with things getting stuck in memory and will be fixing this so you do not have to constantly clear browser cache.

Next Steps

Over the next several weeks, we will:

• Consolidate and review client feedback and requests we have received thus far
• Finalize our migration plan in preparation for January
• Fine-tune our documentation and training process (Take a sneak peek here! – must be on VPN)
• Continue to learn about web accessibility and apply learnings to the theme and our accessibility training

Thank you for your patience, enthusiasm, and all of your input. We look forward to the launch of cuTheme in January 2024. Please read more about the migration process by clicking the button below.