Case study: DJ-University - complete solution for a Joomla or WordPress WCAG website
DJ-University presents itself as a WCAG Quickstart website tailored specifically for educational institutions, aiming to provide an accessible and user-friendly platform that caters to the diverse needs of both students and educators, thus fostering an inclusive and engaging online learning environment.
Available for two popular content management systems, Joomla and WordPress, both versions of DJ-University capitalize on the robust capabilities of the YOOtheme Pro web builder. This case study delves into the distinctive attributes and functionalities of these platforms, highlighting their role in creating seamless and accessible digital experiences for university, school, or college web pages.
Throughout this exploration, we will scrutinize key aspects such as design aesthetics, user interface, content management, and adherence to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). By emphasizing these crucial elements, we aim to demonstrate how DJ-University's WCAG Quickstart websites empower educational institutions to establish an inclusive, interactive, and educational online presence.
DJ-University for Joomla and WordPress
DJ-University WCAG quickstart website is available in two versions, for Joomla 4.x and for WordPress.
Joomla 4.x version
It’s a ready to use, an WCAG website based on Joomla 4.x, DJ-Accessibility plugin, DJ-MegaMenu and YOOtheme Pro web builder.
WordPress version
It’s a ready to use, an online shop based on WordPress, DJ-Accessibility plugin, and YOOtheme Pro web builder.
Accessible site main layout elements
The fundamental elements essential for a contemporary and efficient WCAG site are the focus of our blog post.
Homepage
Homepage acts as the primary showcase of the educational website, serving as the initial point of contact for visitors. It encompasses essential components including the brand logo, pertinent information, relevant visuals, and user-friendly functionalities. Moreover, the website plays a crucial role in housing significant elements such as lessons, staff details, and other pertinent information.
Welcome to the University
A section for presenting basic information about the university, with icons and links that lead to key articles on the activities of the institution.
Basic University Information
On the front page, we displayed basic information about the university. They are meant to catch the visitor's attention, so we used a visual use of numbers. This is not an 'about us' page.
Student Stories
Pictures of the students with a link leading to an article where each of the featured characters presents their story related to the university.
Events
The 'Events' section serves as an important element in informing, engaging and fostering a sense of community within the school. It acts as a dynamic platform to commemorate achievements, promote the school's values and encourage potential applicants, thereby enhancing the overall positive and inclusive atmosphere of the educational establishment.
About us page
It's a standard, informative page introducing the university.
Contact us
Undoubtedly, the "Contact Page" holds significant importance on a school website. It serves as a vital tool for visitors, offering essential details such as the institution's location, opening hours, and crucial contact information like phone numbers and email addresses, facilitating direct communication.
For students
The 'for students' section is divided into several categories where students will find key information for them.
Below is an example of how the "Campus"section can be filled with content:
Messages
The so-called "Messages" section is a dynamic and essential element of a university website. It was designed like a classic blog view, where 'read more' buttons lead to specific articles.
Key feature of an accessible website
DJ-University brings the DJ-Accessibility plugin included in the product's price.
It's a WCAG plugin that provides a bunch of options to improve the accessibility of the Joomla or WordPress based website. Accessibility is a key for all websites and the plugin has you covered.
DJ-Accessibility makes a website more accessible for all by providing options like:
- Invert colors, Monochrome, Dark contrast, Light contrast, Low saturation, High saturation, Highlight links, Highlight headings
- Screen reader, Read mode
- Content scaling, Font size, Line height, Letter spacing
The cost of creating the modern WCAG website
DJ-University quickstart website you can get for €41 only ( 6 months subscription). Of course, you will need a domain and paid hosting to install it. The website, once installed, will be based on the Joomla 4.x or WordPress CMS, which are free.
An additional cost is the purchase of the YOOtheme Pro web builder from the developer's website. Its price is €129 (1 year subscription.)
To sum up - in the amount of less than €199 you receive all the tools needed to launch a modern, functional WCAG web page.
Installation
There are 2 possible ways of the installation.
- Quickstart installation
The Quickstart is the demo backup (.zip copy) from the demo server. It comes with Joomla/WordPress, and you install it like a regular Joomla/WordPress backup made by Akeeba Backup; after that, you get the same effect on demo pages.
You do not need to configure everything from scratch; the installation is easy and will take a few minutes only.
- Installation from scratch
You get a set of files that allows you to install a website based on the DJ-University template/theme from scratch or install it on an existing website.
More about the installation you can learn from the installation guide:
Summary
DJ-University stands out as an excellent option for educational website owners. It seamlessly integrates with Joomla 4.x and WordPress, ensuring compatibility across platforms. With its intuitive interface and extensive feature set, this template shines among its competitors. Crafting an appealing and fully functional webpage for universities or other educational institutions is effortlessly achievable, thanks to the quickstart package and advanced web development functionalities offered by the YOOtheme Pro web builder.
