“We are very pleased to launch our new website with a fresh look and an added emphasis on improved site navigation” said Information Technology Services Director Arlis Bortner. “The website is our virtual front door and it’s important we present a welcoming look and feel.”
The redesign project began twelve months ago after the College collected feedback from staff and students. Focus groups were gathered and surveys were conducted.
“In all, we held 14 separate focus groups where we discussed how people use the current website, what works well and what doesn’t work at all,” Bortner said. “During these discussions, we explored how to make the website a better experience for students while sharing our vision for an improved college web presence.”
The feedback and focus group responses helped the College design a new website that will meet the needs of staff, students, and the community.
“The feedback we received yielded common themes about what people want to see most on a new website” said Internet Services specialist Alice Nguyen. “We listened and incorporated a mobile-responsive design, a new events calendar and reimagined the organization of content.”
The result is a dynamic website that prominently features photos of Merced College students and emphasizes a new navigation menu with links to the most-requested webpages and tools. In addition, quick links are incorporated above and to the right of the Merced College logo.
“Carrying out a re-launch for a website of this size is a major undertaking which usually takes 18 months or more” Nguyen said. “We worked hard to deliver a website the campus community would be proud to stand behind. As we continue assessing the new website and making improvements, we encourage user feedback.”
The new website features an events calendar on the home page that lists upcoming student workshops, athletics games, arts & theater events. News articles and press releases highlighted on the home page bring attention to the unique achievements of Merced College students and the campus community. A Campus Life tab in the main navigation gives students quick access to information about campus activities, parking, jobs and athletics.
The College’s website, found at www.mccd.edu, underwent its last major redesign in 2011 when only 6 percent of visitors used mobile phones or tablets to visit the website. Today, 31 percent of site visitors are on a mobile phone. The new design, according to Nguyen, is optimized for desktops, tablets and mobile devices.
The redesign also includes the implementation of a new content management system which enables campus editors to easily update their pages and makes content management more seamless. College staff are enjoying using the modern technology to keep webpages up to date.
“The content management tool is so much easier than before,” said Agriculture secretary Karen Wallace.
Before considering color schemes or writing one line of code, the College collected feedback from the campus community by involving students, staff and faculty in the early phases of this project. The campus community participated in a survey about the current website, and additional invitations were sent seeking participants for focus groups.
“The feedback we received from this discovery and research phase was very positive and yielded common themes,” Bortner said. “Participants discussed the need for a mobile-friendly website, and requested that we highlight campus activities and areas of study such as Technical Education and certificate programs.
“We heard appeals for an events calendar, a faculty/staff directory and, most importantly, making it easier for students to find what they need on the college website. Of those who completed the campus-wide survey, a majority believed the website should be focused on students as a primary audience. Our new website is student-focused, with easy-to-find areas for faculty, staff, parents, and community.”
Of all the improvements, foremost is a mobile-responsive design optimized for desktops, tablets and mobile devices. Other improvements include a modern look and feel, an ADA-accessible and Section 508 compliant design, and a complete site audit to weed out content that is redundant, out-of-date and trivial, Bortner said.
Source: Merced College
