higher education website design: branding & user experience | oneupweb
DESCRIPTION
Each website you or your agency designs should improve navigation, search-friendliness, conversion path, etc. Beyond that, the higher education website, in particular, must meet certain additional requirements, given its audience and function. Oneupweb offers some suggestions for meeting the needs of both your institution and the students, parents, and other stakeholders who are interested in it. Branding is essential. Know who you are, and use your logo, design assets (such as photography), and content messaging to convey that identity on every page. In addition, design your higher education website to showcase your unique value propositions. User experience is crucial, too. Conduct regular audits to identify site problems, and optimize your pages knowing that the majority of readers will not read every bit of text. Make completing an application (a conversion) as simple and painless as possible. Follow these steps, and marketing your school will become a smoother and more effective process. Discover our design capabilities at http://www.oneupweb.com/capabilities/web-design-development/.TRANSCRIPT
Your website is your most important digital asset
POTENTIAL STUDENTS your website is their first interaction with
your school
For many
FOR CURRENT STUDENTS, ALUMNI, PROFESSORS, ADMINISTRATORS, COMMUNITY LEADERS & ALL OTHERS
It’s an important resource for news, events and information
related to your institution
It’s imperative to provide your stakeholders with a
POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
on your website
HERE ARE
7 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR WEBSITE ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Clearly
IDENTIFY
01
who you are
Every page should consistently include identifying factors such as your logo and school colors.
Use
SUPPORTING IMAGES
02
that reflect your values and culture
Use photography that reflects the experiences and aspirations of your stakeholders. Shy away from stock images, and let your school shine.
Call out your
STRENGTHS
03
What makes your college or university great? Different from the competition? Make sure these differentiating factors are called out and easy to find.
Clearly show prospective students
HOW TO APPLY
04
Don’t hide your admissions away in an isolated corner of your website. Make sure that your admissions forms are easy to find and use.
Regularly conduct
USER EXPERIENCE
05
audits
Five users can point out 80% of your website’s usability problems. By conducting two audits a year with 5 or more users, you will be able to identify most issues before they become major problems.
is more important than sounding “cool”
USABILITY 06
Potential students are highly cognizant of what going to your school means for them. Their future depends on it. Be real and honest with potential students—they want to know you are worth their while.
your pages for non-readers OPTIMIZE
07
Fewer than 20% of people read content on a page word for word. When important information is buried in long blocks of text, it gets lost. Keep important information high-level and easy to find.
twitter.com/oneupweb
1.877.568.7477
ONEUPWEB.COM
facebook.com/oneupweb
…let’s get connected
linkedin.com/company/oneupweb