Website Redesign

WashU Olin web overhaul: Kids these days

Three students in front of a bookshelf concentrating on scrolling their cellphones.
Being mobile-friendly is now a top aspect of Google’s search algorithm.

A lot has changed in the 13 years since we conducted our last major website overhaul. Today, people are inundated with content, are tethered to mobile phones and are often multitasking through most of the day. These factors come into play when planning and delivering any new product or service. Developing a new website is no different.

Two keys to a successful website experience for today’s users are being mobile-friendly and providing the user with the exact content they need, the way they want it, quickly.

Mobile friendly

Did you know that worldwide, about two-thirds of all website visits now happen on a mobile device? Our numbers show this is no different for WashU Olin. Sure, people still use desktops to peruse the internet, but more often than not, the first experience a user may have with our school is on their phone.

We previously talked about the importance of intuitive navigation and site architecture in order for users to quickly find what they need. Being mobile-friendly undoubtedly comes into play on this topic. Gone are the days of 300-plus pages with sub-navigation nestled under the main navigation. Also gone are the days of charts and graphs that don’t render properly on a phone. And gone are the days with a book’s worth of text on one page. People want simple navigation and information they can review in minutes (or seconds), all right in the palm of their hands.

Google understands this, and since 2015, has been taking steps to ensure brands take note—with additional steps in 2016 and 2020. Being mobile-friendly is now a top aspect of Google’s algorithm when deciding if a website will show up among top search results.

Fewer words. More action

There is plenty of research out there proving that attention spans are shrinking. A recent study by Microsoft concluded that the human attention span has dropped to 8 seconds, down nearly 25% in just a few years. Now, we hope that if someone is looking to earn a degree or certificate, they’ll spend a little more time than this, but you get the point.

This doesn’t mean all of our pages need to be read in 8 seconds. It means we need to understand what users are looking for and deliver it to them quickly. It means we cannot let complexity get in the way of readability. We plan to match our website experience to today’s users.

Will we use fewer words? Yes. Will we lose our edge in storytelling? No. Although we are planning for fewer pages and less text on most pages, we will supplement our message with more bite-size content—photos, videos, student profiles, professor profiles, stats, and news/blog articles to review. In theory, it’s not less content but rather a more “chunked” way of delivering content.

That’s all for now. Be on the lookout for our next update in the next few weeks. We’ll cover some ins and outs of the new website with some eye candy.  

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