Digital Experience

Learn more about the latest enhancements and bug fixes from the past two weeks, along with the latest news and how-to articles and videos.

Thank you for your continued dedication and contributions. Let’s keep striving for excellence together!

Discover more about updates to the DX platform and access training materials on the DX Training website. 

NEWS

Welcome Natalie Sipes

Please welcome Natalie as the DX Product Portfolio Manager for the Division of Information Technology in the Department of Management. She will provide strong leadership and strategic planning to further enhance all the hard work that has been accomplished. You can contact Natalie at natalie.sipes@dom.iowa.gov.

Welcome Charles Sanders

Please welcome Charles as a Drupal Web Developer for the Division of Information Technology in the Department of Management. He will join the Content Manager DX Team and collaborate with Jessica Van Heuveln, the Qualtrics CX Program Manager, on all DX Qualtrics initiatives

Thank You to Lullabot Team Members

With the successful completion of the DX website launch project, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Lullabot team members who will be leaving us. We truly appreciate your dedication, hard work, and patience throughout the process. We also want to thank those team members who will be assisting us in the next phase of the project.

Drupal 11 Upgrade

All sites have been upgraded to Drupal 11. There is no change at this time to the user interface, and everything should work the same as Drupal 10 with the addition of an alt text change. There may be a change from top navigation to side navigation in the future. 

For more information on the Drupal 11 Upgrade, please refer to the 'Release Notes' on the DX training site.

Content Gardening Project Launched

The Content Gardening Project has launched with DAS and Volunteer in progress. HHS is next on the list. This project will help agencies improve their websites through better content strategy, governance, accessibility, broken link fixes, and plain language enhancements. If you're interested in getting on the list sooner, please contact Matt Perry.

For more information on the Content Gardening Project, please refer to the article 'About the Content Gardening Project' on the DX training site.

Accessibility Office Hours are Now Available

We are excited to offer new opportunities to receive individual assistance with all things accessibility. We will be holding office hours for both Application Assessment and PDF remediation. Please refer to our Trainer Corner section to learn about dates, times, and joining information.

Enhancements and Bug Fixes

Drupal 11 and Decorative Text

All images require alt text in order to help reach and exceed WCAG accessibility requirements. However, in some cases an image truly is decorative, i.e. when being placed inside a Visual Link Collection, or in some cases when placed inside text. Many authors have placed the word 'Decorative' as alt text. Drupal 11 will now require all images to have full alt text.

However, upon placement inside text, the image may be specified as being decorative or not. We may also override existing alt text that comes with the image.

GOT A BUG? Submit a ServiceNow Ticket for Fast Fixes!

Is something not working as expected? If you encounter a bug or any issue, don’t wait - submit a ServiceNow (SN) ticket right away! Reporting problems as soon as possible is essential to ensuring a quick resolution and keeping everything running smoothly. You can also check the DX Training Report Page for updates on reported issues and a quick link to submit your own bug reports.

TRAINING CORNER Stay up to date with the latest training resources designed specifically for content managers. Whether you are looking to enhance your skills or streamline your website updates, this section will keep you informed and ready to tackle any new challenges. Visit the DX Training site to brush up.

How To: Add a Google My Maps Locations Map

The ability to create a custom map of locations is an often-overlooked feature of the DX Platform. Using https://mymaps.google.com you're able to create a map with unlimited locations. You can add your locations manually or import a spreadsheet from Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or any spreadsheet app. The finished map is then easy to embed on a basic page in your website, and easy to update to add or delete locations.

For more information on the Google My Maps, please refer to the article 'How Do I Work with Google My Maps embeds?' on the DX training site.

How to: The Dreaded URL Redirect

We use URL redirects to guide users away from 404 error pages. This happens when they click on an outdated URL they have saved or click on a bad link on a website. But redirects can be used for more than that - they can be used to replace long URLs with shorter, more memorable ones for brochures, flyers, and social media posts. They can be used to create short URLs to boost brand consistency and make printed materials easier to read.

For more information on the URL redirects, please refer to the article 'How Do I Work with Redirects?' on the DX training site.

YouTube Channel

New and updated training videos are being added monthly to the DOM DoIT Digital Experience YouTube Channel and linked within DX Training site pages. You can subscribe to the channel to be notified when new videos are added.

Weekly DX Training Classes

The weekly DX course is designed for new users and those looking for a refresher on the platform basics. You can register directly on the DX Training site: Weekly DX Training Classes.

Weekly Office Hours

Need help or have questions? Join our live office hours every Thursday from 1-2 pm. No registration is needed - simply click the live meeting link available on the DX Training page during the scheduled time. Sharean Morishita will be there to assist with troubleshooting, platform refreshers, or any other questions you have.

NEW - Application Assessment Weekly Office Hours

Application Assessment Office Hours are open each Wednesday starting June 18 from 9-10 a.m. with Todd Peterson. Feel free to drop in to ask your questions or if you would like assistance in determining if an app's accessibility should be assessed.

NEW - PDF Remediation Weekly Office Hours

PDF Remediation Office Hours are open each Tuesday starting June 17 from 9-10 a.m. with Todd Peterson. Feel free to drop in if you have questions about whether a doc(s) needs to be remediated, removed, or archived, or questions about having Allyant and the IowAccess Doc Remediation project assist with document remediation.

Accessibility Training

Accessibility training sessions will be taking a few months off. The next session is scheduled for August 5 at 9 a.m. This live training session will focus on Microsoft Excel accessibility. Register for this training session.