In late April we announced we would be taking a strategic look at our websites and reimagining our web presence through the lens of our visitors. Since then, we’ve made good progress, and we want to share that with you. In fact, this blog will be updated regularly with our progress, so check back anytime you start to wonder, “What IS going on with the web redesign project?”
We kicked off the project in July when our partner, mStoner – a digital communications agency – came to campus to conduct the discovery phase. While here, they conducted 13 onsite interviews with deans, department chairs, students and staff groups including Advancement, Enrollment and Student Services, Information Technology, University Communications, and the web project team. The interviews helped mStoner understand our needs as an institution, how we think about our web presence and gain initial feedback from key stakeholders.
Following the onsite visit from mStoner, we worked with various members of the university to identify various on-campus, off-campus, online and transfer students as potential candidates for the experience map sessions. These experience mapping sessions will help us understand:
- how disparate users experience our web presence.
- what those users are looking for.
- how they find information they’re looking for.
- where they may be friction in the experience.
Simultaneously, a group is assessing RFP responses for a new platform on which to host our new site. The team is reviewing responses and will narrow the search with demonstrations and on-campus visits.
We’re excited about the progress that’s been made in a short amount of time. Please check back here for regular updates on further progress as we reimagine how our visitors will experience our great institution online. Fire up!