Case Study: Major New England University

Libretto, along with our design partner Hecht Design and the project management firm Project Power, was contracted by a major New England university to conduct an extensive evaluation of its website. Composed of nine schools – several of which maintained their own distinct brand and personality – the university sought to create a more cohesive and coherent site that would showcase those individual schools and the university as a whole, both to its internal community and to external visitors.

To better understand the university's needs, Libretto and its partners conducted focus groups and interviews involving more than 250 key stakeholders, including the president, deans, faculty, staff, parents, and students. During that process, we worked closely with the client’s website committee to ensure that our efforts aligned with the institution’s objectives. Our in-depth investigation of the existing site helped us identify major functionality issues and informational resources that needed to become more accessible to visitors. We also identified key characteristics that the upper levels of the re-launched site needed to convey, as well as specific academic opportunities offered within the individual schools that should be highlighted.

The project team prepared a detailed report of findings, along with strategies for implementing site improvements. The report included a comprehensive new site map, as well as recommendations regarding staffing, planning, training and support, technology-related factors, design considerations, and budget. To help control costs, the team also introduced strategies that would empower representatives from throughout the university to take responsibility for the site’s ongoing content generation and maintenance.

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