University Main Web Homepage On-line Discussion

August 21st, 2007 | Category: Announcements,Content
written by: Heidi Cool

homepage.jpg
Current Homepage

University Marketing and Communications is seeking additional community input as it continues its multi-year process of reviewing the university's main homepage, which was introduced, with slight variations, along with the new university logo in 2004.

In the next of what will be several phases of input from the university community, University Marketing and Communications is hosting an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the university to offer ideas on-line through this blog and a forum discussion.

University Marketing and Communication asks that the university community provide thoughts around these three questions:

  • What are the two or three most important objectives of a university Web homepage?
  • Who are the two or three most important audiences for a university Web homepage?
  • What kinds of content would best meet those objectives and reach those audiences?

Thank you for your insights. We'll be accepting feedback on this blog through September 7, 2007. For additional information on the homepage project, go to http://www.case.edu/webdev/homepage.

Paula Baughn, on behalf of University Marketing and Communications

Now that the feedback period has ended, comments on this entry are now closed. Thank you for your input.

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13 Comments
  1. 1. What are the two or three most important objectives of a university Web homepage?

    Why don't we start with basic web standards compliance?

    Click here to check http://www.case.edu at validator.w3.org

    Also, how about NOT using a fixed width that assumes the viewer is using a screen resolution of 800x600? 1024x768 or better is far more frequent these days. If a width based on % was used then it wouldn't matter. The Oxford homepage is an excellent example. Assuming 800x600 wastes a lot of screen space (real estate) that could be used to deliver the "two or three most important objectives".

    Comment by Andrew Rukovena — August 21, 2007 @2:10 pm

  2. Two of our most important audiences for a university web page is our students, and prospective donors. A student should be able to go to our homepage and pay a tuition bill and register for classes etc. A donor should be able to go to our home page and make a donation.

    Comment by Gisele A. Mosley — August 21, 2007 @2:18 pm

  3. Objectives: 1. Help people find information in the fewest number of clicks. 2. Convey the attitude and personality of the university. Audiences: 1. Current faculty, staff, and students. 2. Potential students including international students. Content: 1. A drop down menu of sorts with links to the most frequently visited departments and colleges. I never want to be more than 1 click away from my target destination. 2. Incorporate more Web 2.0 content. Perhaps a 'Who's Blogging' section or photos pulled from 'approved' Flickr accounts that are tagged with CWRU.

    Comment by dave — August 21, 2007 @2:25 pm

  4. I must admit today was the first time I saw the home page. First, if you like the 800px view then centering it would be my advice (I always liked the 800px btw, I always use it). Without going to the bottom of the page I had no idea where the campus is located. The page is set up for people who are already aware you exist. The page IMO doesn't need to speak to the Alumni or current students - it is your future customers! What phrases are you targeting? What does the University teach? Anyone famous, current leaders of business ever attend? I am a prospective student...grab my attention and have a navigation system from the page that they cannot resist - maybe even a small, powerful flash presentation (10 seconds) Case University, "building tomorrow's leaders one student at a time." Contemporary music in the background - anyway, make me want to attend, give me a page I would show my parents and friends. Build a site which answers my questions and reinforces my belief Case = Success.

    Comment by TomG — August 21, 2007 @3:31 pm

  5. I will 2nd the opinion to eliminate the fixed width. On a high resolution screen, it has always looked like a postage stamp (OK, a note card) which minimizes some of its potential visual impact. Magazines have fixed layouts. HTML should flow to the window size tastes of the end user.

    Comment by Ron Ryan — August 21, 2007 @3:58 pm

  6. What are the two or three most important objectives of a university Web homepage? -Spotlight the university as an interesting and vibrant learning community. -Provide navigation to more detailed information regarding key factors. Who are the two or three most important audiences for a university Web homepage? Students, prospective students,parents, and alumni What kinds of content would best meet those objectives and reach those audiences? -A layout that is structured but not boxy, just like the new logo. Open things up a bit. -Less content on the main page. I don't mind clicking a few extra times if I have a cleaner screen to look at and the navigation flows well. -Add some 2.0, something welcoming and engaging.

    Comment by Gretchen — August 21, 2007 @4:28 pm

  7. 1) A university Web homepage should make it as simple as possible to find the information needed by the user. Most important, the search option should direct the user to what he or she is looking for with a reasonable (not vast) number of possible links. 2) The most important audiences are the current student population and faculty/staff. Since in a vast number of instances, parents are involved in financing the students' education at Case, the parents are the third most important audience, in my thinking. 3) What kinds of content would best meet those objectives and reach those audiences -- easy access to departments, a university directory, campus map, and regularly used links, like webmail, WebCT, etc.

    Comment by M.S.L. — August 21, 2007 @4:35 pm

  8. Objectives:
    1. Lure new students.
    2. Lure dollars.
    Audiences:
    1. Prospective students.
    2. Current students.
    3. Alumni.
    4. Potential employees.
    Content:
    1. A/B test competitors' home pages with prospective students to see which makes them more likely to enroll. Then investigate why.
    2. Analyze current access logs to determine current content that students most want and ensure ready access.
    3. As an alumnus, I am interested in the limited selection of current University events and news that the administration finds important enough to highlight.
    4. Potential employees should have a link to opportunities at Case.
    5. Current employees should have an internal home page (MyCase portal) that includes a link to the external home page.

    Make the page load fast by following suggestions for front end optimization at 14 rules for fast web pages

    Once you determine the objectives and audience, figure out the desired search terms and perform Search engine optimization.

    Comment by Brian Christian — August 21, 2007 @6:30 pm

  9. Any chance of changing the horrible SOLAR system into a real web app. I can bank and shop without having to install junky software - why not register, pay tuition, etc.?

    Comment by Matt — August 24, 2007 @5:29 pm

  10. Looking very sweet! Using fixed width is one of my favorite techniques to getting a uniform look to a website.

    Comment by Favorite — August 28, 2007 @10:33 am

  11. Concerning the website in general, the url should be changed to include Western Reserve University. I realize that using the entire university name would be too long, so I think the best compromise would be to use http://www.casewestern.edu/ Default e-mail addresses should also use this domain name. With all the talk about how CWRU now celebrates its past, it's surprising this has not already been done. If the university truly does embrace WRU, then its web address should reflect that.

    Comment by Eric Hudak — August 30, 2007 @2:06 pm

  12. What are the two or three most important objectives of a university Web homepage? It should be there to inform student and ex student as well. For someone like me who is thinking about going back to University after I droped and worked 7 years ago, 1) the site have to be easy to navigate through. I want to be able to find what i am looking for easily. 2)I also think that the most important information have to be at the top of the page. 3)Tell me what is going on at your university? What is the sport team there?? What is your strenght? Do you offer online class support? 4) You need to flash the latest news or the most important story so that could drag my attention right away. I agree with the comment above (don't remember who wrote it about a little flash button on the site or something.. I really apreciate your blog by the way. Thanks,
  13. Naho

    14. Comment by Naho — September 19, 2007 @4:07 pm

  14. 1.) The most important objectives of a university homepage are attracting students and attracting funds. Equally important, in my opinion, however, is functionality and quick access to available information. As a student, I don't want to filter through 5+ levels of links to get to a professor's information page.

    2.) In no specific order, I believe the most important audiences are current students and faculty, prospective students (and their parents?) and fund sources.

    3.) Simply, the content on the main page should be sparse compared to what it is now. The current page is overly cluttered and an eyesore. I would limit the news section to a few small blurbs covering important university topics. There's no need to have pictures with the news; if a visitor is interested, he/she will click the link. News items should be like headlines in a newspaper--catch the readers attention. Featured sites is a useless collection of random links that is completely unorganised and just adds to the overall feel of clutter. The "Learning at Case" title sound a bit like marketing rubbish. Why not just put the links for admissions, academics, etc. in a sidebar with everything else. There's no reason to have so many links scattered about the page. Furthermore, the links under "Living at Case" don't need to be on the homepage. Perhaps instead there could be one link called "Living at Case Western Reserve" with sublinks that cover issues such as housing and greek life. Instead of pictures of the turning point and curvaceous lines inside PBL, let's put pictures of our beautiful (and perhaps less controversial) buildings like Adelbert Hall, Mather Memorial, KSL, or even the Village. Additionally, the number of pictures should be limited--links don't have to be pictorial. The homepage just needs to show a few nice views of the university. The name "Case Western Reserve" should be featured prominently; we're proud of our name and history, let's show it. Finally, how do the smattering of maroon, olive green and mustard yellow colors reflect CWRU? Keep the color scheme basic and close to home--blue, white and grey, please. Overall, the main page needs to be concise, attractive, and clean. The links should be logical and organised. Good luck on improving the hompage.

    Thanks

    Comment by Greg — September 26, 2007 @6:53 pm

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