One of my favorite projects last year was the relaunch of the Capital University website. Capital needed a site that would take their inspirational branding work and repackage it into a forward-thinking digital platform geared toward prospective students. Nichole Johnson, director of media relations and communications, led the Capital project team and was mStoner’s primary contact for our work together.
Shortly after the February 2015 launch of the new capital.edu, Nichole and I had the chance to catch up. This is what we talked about.
Susan: What are you hearing about the new site? What comments did you get on launch day? And, what early metrics are you able to share about how successful the relaunch was in meeting your goals?
Nichole: It sounds oversimplified, but one of my favorite comments so far has been, “It just works.” Our stakeholders have been craving responsive design and intuitive navigation for a long time. They knew those deliverables were at the top of our priority list, but seeing is believing. So the first time they called the site up on their mobile devices and found the content they were looking for three clicks away, it left an impression on them. We’ve also heard from parents and prospective students, many who knew our old site given where we were in the enrollment cycle when we launched. They’ve told us the site is easier to navigate, better organized, modern and even “fun.”
We’re only a few weeks into the launch, but we’re very happy with the speed and performance of the site, its functionality across devices and browsers, streamlined information architecture and fresh and engaging content. We’re also seeing some pretty exciting metrics on our calls to action, which we’ve place strategically across the site.
As we developed the strategy and design for the new site, did you take any risks? What were the most revolutionary ways in which you changed how your website represents Capital?
“We’re not the target audience. We’re not designing the site for ourselves.” #mStoner #heweb
Click To Tweet
We settled on a design that would still serve us five years from now, even if it required a slight adjustment from our users today. Our mantra was, “We’re not the target audience. We’re not designing the site for ourselves.” It’s a site designed for mobile devices, especially tablets, and to complement the habits of those who use mobile most frequently to browse college sites. That’s a bit of a risk now because our website also serves internal audiences who use the site on a desktop or laptop. So to ease that adjustment, we directed our internal user groups to their landing pages and even conducted focus groups to make sure our understanding of their top content needs was on point. Then we created easy-to-find buttons to minimize disruption.
We also redeployed our content management system [Ektron] with this project and decided to rebuild the database so we wouldn’t carry over problematic code and bad content. It was more work up front, but it’s paying off. Finally, we chose not to allow our small staff size to box us into a design that minimized content needs. We’re being smart in our content strategy — making sure we get the most out of content. And we’ve committed to building out our academic program pages with compelling content, clear descriptions, personality and consistent calls to action. We’re taking a phased approach, but we’re already seeing the results.
I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions and calls about content. Was that just me? Did you find that focus on content strategy useful?
It definitely was not just you! This is the first web redesign project I’ve managed, and I had a lot of questions. Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my instincts and always ask the question. So it was really helpful to have an accessible partner. For many reasons, it was critical that we get the content strategy piece right — and keep getting it right. We’re compelled to be smart about our content and good stewards of the university’s resources. If we don’t have a clear strategy (and measurable goals), we can’t possibly prioritize our daily work and make the right decisions. For me, one of the most telling findings from the intake process was that everyone agreed our old site fell short in telling the story of Capital. And we have a great story to tell. If we leverage the power of the web to trumpet all the reasons people should choose Capital, we’ll make everyone’s work more efficient and strengthen the University.
You’re likely to give advice to others about leading a website relaunch project. What will you say about project leadership? What skills and characteristics are essential for leading university-wide initiatives?
People have a strong sense of ownership of the website so collaboration is key, especially in the early phases of the project. But it’s also important to balance collaborative spirit with the ability to make the right decisions in a timely manner. So share your decision-making process up front.
In my experience, it’s essential to pick good partners and listen to their advice, but also to know your institution and be respectful of its culture. Projects managed in a vacuum rarely turn out well, so build an internal team that brings the same values to the project you do. Maintaining university-wide perspective is critical when making strategic decisions. So if you don’t have that perspective, be humble enough to admit it and then seek it out. Always ask questions so you understand why. Be diligent about knowing your strategy document and keep it close at hand as a point of reference. And build in extra time to check your work through focus groups and testing. Always think (and communicate) three steps ahead.
After the intensity of the project, did the Capital web team celebrate? Are you catching up on sleep and reconnecting with family and friends? Or did you immediately dive into enhancements for the new web presence?
We had a small celebration, but there was double-chocolate cake so that’s always a big deal to me. We’re all still putting in a lot of time and creative energy, mostly because we’re so excited to see the website work, to manage it strategically to advance the university’s goals, and to share those results with decision-makers across campus. As we continue to work closely with offices and departments university-wide, we’re understanding their goals and business processes on a more granular level, and we hope we’re building trust. So we look forward to imagining new ways we can make the website work harder for everyone.
Thinking back and reflecting on all the Capital team accomplished… why did it work? What are the reasons for such a strong result?
Wow, this is a big question, so I asked the rest of the web team to weigh in, too. Collectively, we think our success was due to these reasons:
- Support from the top
We had strong support from (and access to) senior-level university leadership, and we still do. The website is viewed as a marketing communication tool and a powerful channel for telling Capital’s story. It’s an ongoing investment. - Cohesive web team
Our web team was newly assembled and composed of people who brought the right blend of experience and fresh perspective to the project. Some of us have been at Capital for more than a decade. Others are brand new. We have diverse skill sets that span marketing communication, web design and information technology. So as a team, we had the right amount of insight to give us university-wide perspective, but just enough newness to enable to ask why. We also happen to work really well together. It really made a difference to have a cohesive unit of skills and personalities together for the duration. When second-guessing arose (as it always does), we all remained grounded by the strategy and felt assured that, even when issues emerged, we were always moving Capital forward.People were properly aligned with their strengths. We all weighed in on something when it was necessary, and we created a culture where contribution was expected and valued. - Emphasis on getting it right, not on being right
As I said earlier, people feel a strong sense of ownership when it comes to the web, and sometimes it’s more comfortable to stick with the status quo than to re-think content and processes, and then wait to see if the changes you’ve introduced are working.So our approach as a web team is more about wanting to get it right (through collaboration) and less about wanting to be right (by dictating a solution). Our decisions are informed by university strategy, consultation from multiple stakeholders, research and best practices. We rely on our partners to advise us when we need it. And now that we’ve launched, we’re making good on our promise to share the results.We find this approach sets people at ease, builds trust and reminds everyone that we all have a vested interest in the site and its success.
I’m proud to say I worked with the Capital project team. It was a pleasure to collaborate with this talented group of individuals. Kudos to the campus team!
The post Partnering with Capital University for a New Website appeared first on mStoner, Inc..