Cascade Refresh v7 User Guide

What's changing, how to use it and what to check before publishing

This guide is for Cascade site managers and content editors who are currently reviewing their site(s) in the Cascade v7 test environment. Use this as a tool as you review your site and make content edits ahead of publishing the refresh.

What to Expect from Cascade v7

Cascade Refresh v7 updates the visual design and the tools used to manage content. The goal is a more consistent Carnegie Mellon web experience while preserving the content and site structures editors already manage.

At a glance

Area	What is changing	What you should do
Site appearance	Updated typography, colors, page layouts and responsive presentation	Review representative pages on desktop and mobile
Header and footer	More consistent university-wide navigation and footer elements	Check the site name, parent link, menus, search and footer links
Categories	Tag Lists organize terms; indexes can use pre-filters and visitor dropdowns	Review existing tags and reconfigure category-based index filters where needed
Editing experience	WYSIWYG styling and available content options have been reviewed for v7	Check headings, links, images and embedded formatting
Templates	Bio, Course, News, Standard Page and their index views have refreshed display behavior	Inspect the page types your site uses

Will I have to rebuild my site?

No. The Web Strategy team is coordinating the technical transition to v7. Existing pages and components are intended to carry forward, and a site republish will be scheduled according to your team's availability. Site owners will have an opportunity to review and request fixes before their site goes live in the refreshed design.

What is expected from a site editor?

Review the beta or migrated version of your site when you receive access.
Spot-check pages that use special components or index filters.
Review Tag Lists and any category-driven indexes; check navigation, images and links.
Report issues to the Web Strategy team using the feedback method provided for your beta test.

Categories and Tags in v7

Categories help people browse and narrow Bio Index, Course Index, and News Index results. In v7, sites may organize terms in Tag Lists under the _tag-lists folder. Sites that used categories in v6 should review their setup after migration.

Understanding the terminology

Term	Meaning	Example
Tag List	A named set of terms used to organize content	Categories or Departments
Tag	A term associated with a content page	Research or Faculty
Pre-filter	Limits the items an index includes by default	Show only Research stories
Dropdown filter	Lets visitors narrow an index's results	Choose a Department

Example: A Tag List named Categories could contain Alumni, Research, and Students. Those terms can be used with related Bio, Course, and News content. Your site may have different Tag Lists or none at all.

Review or create a Tag List

Compare your original v6 category terms and index filters with the migrated beta site.
In Cascade v7, open the _tag-lists folder and review any existing Tag List pages.
Check which terms are available; do not assume a previously used category was migrated.
To add needed terms, edit the appropriate Tag List, or create one using + Add Content if that option is available.
Enter its name and tags, Submit, and reopen it to verify the saved terms.

Before rebuilding categories

An empty _tag-lists folder is not typically a problem. If your original site used categories and terms are missing, ask the Web Strategy team to confirm what migrated before recreating large lists.

Check tags assigned to content

Open a Bio, Course, or News page that previously used categories, then choose Edit.
Find the page’s tag or category controls and review the current selections.
Add or correct the intended terms, if needed; report widespread missing assignments to the Web Strategy team.
Select Submit, then preview the related index page.

Tagging a content page does not automatically configure a Bio, Course, or News Index to filter it. Review the index settings in the next section.

Use Categories to Control Index Pages

In v7, pre-filters determine which items an index can display, while dropdown filters let visitors narrow those results. If your v6 site used either, review and reconfigure them as needed after migration.

Review your existing index settings

Open each category-driven Bio, Course, or News Index on your original site. Note the intended results and dropdown choices.
In the migrated beta site, open the corresponding index and choose Edit.
Check that its source content has the appropriate tags before changing filter settings.

Set a pre-filter

Find the index’s pre-filter settings.
Select the tag terms that should limit the available results.
Submit and preview the page; confirm the expected items appear.
Example: A News Index pre-filtered to Research should show matching Research stories, rather than every story on the site.

Add a visitor-facing dropdown

Edit the index page and find its visitor-facing filter or dropdown settings.
Add the needed dropdown and select the relevant Tag List or category source provided by the editor.
Submit and preview; test different dropdown choices and confirm the results update.

Using both together

For example, an index can start with Research items and let visitors narrow those further by Department. When both settings are used, test the combined results as well as each filter separately.

For sites migrating from v6

Older pre-filters and dropdowns may require manual reconfiguration. Review every category-driven index, especially those with multiple filters. If a list is empty or the results look unexpected, compare the original site before making changes.

If the results look wrong

Check the Tag List terms and the tags assigned to the original content pages.
Confirm the index is the correct content type: Bio, Course, or News.
Review empty or unnecessary pre-filter selections and the dropdown source.
Report the index URL, expected result, and actual result through Usersnap.

What is Different When Editing Content?

WYSIWYG editor and headings

The rich-text editor and shared content fields have been reviewed for v7, including heading options, formatting styles, images and links.

The Page Title should be the page’s primary H1 heading; hero marketing copy should not create a competing H1. Exact placement of that title depends on the page and hero configuration.

When reviewing a page, check that headings follow a sensible order, images still align and wrap correctly, lists and links are readable and content works on narrow screens. Avoid recreating visual spacing with manual indents or blank paragraphs.

Visual components on standard pages

Standard Pages can include hero rotators, silent video heroes, text areas, accordions, grids/cards, links and other reusable components. v7 adjusts their visual presentation and responsive behavior.

Hero and rotator: Verify the image crop, overlay text, caption, link and any rotating panels.
Silent video: Check the fallback image and mobile presentation as well as the video itself.
Grids and cards: Review image crops, number of columns, content order and stacking on mobile.
Accordions: Open and close each section; check special characters and long headings.
Links and sidebars: Verify text, destinations, headings and mobile layout.

Bio pages and Bio Index

Individual Bio and Short Bio pages use refreshed layouts for names, images, contact information and supporting content. Bio Index pages support different listing styles like photo or card-based presentations, along with category filtering.

Check names, titles, contact information, profile image framing, sorting and listings, filter results and any “Load more” behavior.

Course pages and Course Index

Course pages display fields like course number, semester, prerequisites, descriptions and instructor details. Course Index pages organize and filter courses and may display expandable course details.

Check course title/number, summaries, filtering, sort order, course details and expandable content. If an index has a heading field, verify that it renders once rather than duplicating the page title.

News, Navigation and Sitewide Elements

News articles and News Index

News articles retain editor-managed information like titles, subtitles, images, dates, bylines, media contacts and reusable/syndicated content. News Index pages can display news using site-managed listings, selected articles, category-based views, or feeds depending on their configuration.

Check headline/subtitle, hero and syndication images, alt text, byline, date, media inquiries, linked story cards and category results. For an RSS-driven listing, confirm that the feed continues to display the expected stories.

Site navigation, header and footer

The refreshed design brings a more consistent university-wide header and footer across CMU sites. Review your site identity and links, including any displayed parent organization name, navigation menus, search, pre-footer/footer links and cookie settings access.

Desktop and mobile presentation

Pages may look different at smaller screen sizes even when content is unchanged. Test a representative home page, a text-heavy page, and each special page type your site uses on both a desktop and a phone-sized screen.

What is not yet covered in this draft

This document intentionally does not enumerate every old vs. new style menu choice, hero setting, or field that may have been removed. A final editor-facing comparison and screenshots will be added after those options have been verified against the production-ready v7 interface.

A good review example: Choose one page with a hero, one with several grids or accordions, one Bio/Course/News page if you use those templates, and every category-driven index on your site.

Review Your Migrated Site

The Web Strategy team will provide access and site-specific instructions when your site is ready. The purpose of review is to confirm that the v7 site continues to communicate the right information and that the new display behavior works for your visitors.

Suggested review checklist

The site name, university header, parent organization link and navigation
Page titles and primary headings; breadcrumbs display sensibly
Important pages have not lost content or links
Hero images, videos, captions and overlays are readable
Grids, cards, accordions and sidebars work on desktop and mobile
Bio, Course and News content displays correctly, if used
Tag Lists and assigned tags have been reviewed, where used
Every category-driven Bio, Course or News Index returns the expected items
Visitor dropdown filters display the intended choices and work as expected
Footer links, search and other common site controls work

Report issues during your review

Use the Usersnap feedback button on your v7 website preview to report anything that looks broken, is missing or does not work as expected. See the next section for step-by-step instructions and examples of helpful reports.

After your review

The Web Strategy team will coordinate any needed adjustments, final verification and the publication schedule. A site republish is part of the rollout; editors should not assume that editing or previewing the v7 site automatically makes the refreshed design live.

How to Submit a Bug Report with Usersnap

While reviewing your v7 website, use Usersnap to send feedback directly from the page where you notice a problem. You can describe what happened and, when available, capture and mark up a screenshot. No separate email is needed for routine beta feedback. A full video of this experience can be found here for guidance.

Submit a report

Open the v7 preview link provided by the Web Strategy team and go to the page with the issue.
Click the Usersnap feedback button or tab on the preview page to open the feedback form.
Capture a screenshot if the option is offered. Highlight or mark the affected area using the available annotation tools.
Briefly explain what is wrong and what you expected to see or happen. Mention any steps needed to reproduce the issue.
Complete any additional fields shown in the form, then submit your feedback.

When should you report?

Missing or incorrect content, images, captions or links
Layout issues like overlapping text, cropped images or unexpected spacing
Navigation, buttons, accordions or other features that do not work
Incorrect Bio, Course or News listings, including category and dropdown filtering problems
Problems that happen only on a phone or at a particular screen size

Make your report easy to investigate

Include the page URL or page title, what you did, what you expected and what actually happened. A screenshot is helpful, especially when reporting a visual problem. Submit one issue per report when possible, so each can be reviewed separately.

Example: “On our People page, choosing Faculty in the category filter shows no results, although faculty profiles should appear.”

What happens after you submit?

The Web Strategy team will review reports collected during beta testing, determine whether an item is an intended v7 design change or an issue that needs attention and coordinate fixes as needed. We may follow up if more information is required.

If the Usersnap button does not appear or the form cannot be submitted, use the support contact provided with your beta instructions.

Watch a video tutorial for reporting bugs with Usersnap

Common Questions

Do I need to create all my categories again?

Not always. Compare your original v6 categories with any Tag Lists in the migrated site. Create or update Tag Lists and restore index pre-filters or dropdowns where needed. If many terms or assignments are missing, ask the Web Strategy team to review before rebuilding them.

Why does my index show no results?

The page may have a missing or restrictive pre-filter, an incorrect dropdown source or content pages without the expected tags. Review the Tag Lists, content assignments and index settings, then report the URL if the problem persists.

Can I use categories on different page types?

Yes. The v7 category system has been tested on Bio, Course, and News pages. The listing itself remains type-specific: a Course Index shows courses, not Bio or News content.

Do I have to update all of my page layouts?

No broad rebuild is planned for editors. Your review should focus on pages that may need adjustments because of layout, heading, category or component behavior changes.

How can I tell whether something is a bug or a design change?

If content disappears, a link breaks, the wrong items appear in an index or a control cannot be used, please report it. For changes in style or spacing, compare the refreshed preview and send a question if you are uncertain. The project team can confirm whether a difference is intentional.

What should I do before we publish?

Complete the representative-page review, send your findings and confirm any items that could affect the accuracy of your published content. The Web Strategy team will coordinate timing and technical rollout steps.