Site Launch: Undergraduate Admissions
One year after the project kickoff the new Undergraduate Admissions Web site launches. Of course, we had a little fun (opens new window) the in process. I outlined a few key changes at the bottom of this post but wanted to go through some important changes in detail.
The old site lacked the "experience" factor. Not the hand-holding through the process experience, but the true Wayne State experience. It was dull, had scaled back images and was not inviting overall. We changed all of that with a warm, friendly and exciting new design. We used bold colors, people-focused photography and tilted elements to make certain areas stand out.
# Navigation
The navigation was another huge change; we completely overhauled it taking it from the 25+ existing first level menu items to 4. We grouped everything into key areas an end-user would need: "Become a Student," "Explore," "Culture" and "Academic Life." Once a user chooses a path it allows us to get everything else out of the way and focus on what they need.
# Content
Last but not least, every single page was examined and rewritten. This by far made the largest impact to our prospective students. The previous site was launched 3 years ago; in that time the content changed frequently but was never looked at as a whole. The new wording makes directions clear, shortens paragraphs and is focused on helping the prospective student.
# Traffic
Overall the site as been doing great. Just in the past week we have seen page views up 27%, unique views up 13% and average time spent on the site up from 2:22 to 3:00. We will see shortly how conversions to the online application have been doing.
# Key changes
- Overhauled navigation, simplified by task, not audience
- Completely rewritten pages, not just little tweaks
- Design that fits into our newest branding for consistency
- A greater emphasis on photos; larger more vibrant photos
- Larger emphasis on upcoming admissions events
- Consolidated multiple sites, apply.wayne, openhouse.wayne
- Moved the event RSVP's to the main events.wayne.edu (opens new window) RSVP system
View the new site at: http://admissions.wayne.edu/ (opens new window)