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Johnson & Wales WEB Redesign
Problem
Johnson & Wales legacy site presented an outdated experience, confusing navigation, and UX. I was charged with leading the development of a new digital web platform.
The initial redesign launched September 2015 addressed many user experience issues including consumption on mobile devices, strengthened the visual presentation and supported the identity of the university. We brought forth a vehicle capable of addressing immediate needs including:
Obstacles
The legacy site was mired in years of content layered onto the original IA. Changes in business practices, individual initiatives along with many content and structural edits created a platform deep in "digital sediment" complicating an already complex technical environment.
Objective
Redesign the university web experience to reflect the JWU brand with admissions focused user experience. University Admissions partnered with my team, Digital Technologies, and our IT department to tackle the project.
Timeline
Due to the complexities of a single University identity with 4 distinct campuses and a complex/cumbersome legacy site it became evident the immediate needs of our Admissions Department and brand initiatives took precedent over the overall redesign timeline. We elected to address the effort in 2 phases. This decision was against the recommendations of most but we felt the risk was worth the reward.
Addressing brand concerns and critical Admission pages, the initial phase addressed the highest level of the site, roughly 75 pages. The total rebuild including the selection of a new CMS would follow within a reasonable timeframe.
Structure
The original structure of the project included a Steering Committee, a Working Committee, and an outside vendor partner. The project RFP was released and after a number of firms were interviewed, we elected to put our trust with mStoner. This proved to be an excellent decision.
Department Objectives
A number of areas not part of or defined in the scope that we felt were clear goals and ultimately crucial for the long term success of the site.
1) We needed a solid, user-friendly CMS. The university would benefit greatly from a (managed) distributed content model. Select University areas and branch campuses would own designated real estate sections on the site. This ensures the content is up-to-date and empowers the owners to actively use the site in admissions focused activities.
2) The new site was designed to iterate. Websites are living entities and must evolve to reflect trends and changing consumption habits of our users. The rate of change is staggering and a dedication to being on point is imperative in today's market.
3) Getting the fundamentals right was key. The legacy site had not morphed to serve the user. We must be sure the navigation is intuitive, the program pages are engaging/informative, tuition content was clear and the faculty had a place to shine.
Execution
• Bringing the brand to life through powerful visuals and an intuitive navigation
• Programs (by campus) are clearly defined
• Created a clear path to individual campus pages
• Established a platform to expand the perception of our culinary program
• Colleges and Schools are easily navigated and identified as directed by Admissions
• Provided a framework for program landing pages (individual URLs)
Phase 2
Learning from track one, researching best practices and working with mStoner our development partners we constructed a clean, modern digital communications tool. A canvas to utilize a true content marketing strategy and leverage the talent we have in-house at JWU.
The lift was immense, condensing over 7,500 pages down to below 1000. Our team successfully fulfilled the goals and objectives as defined by the original scope. Together, we delivered the project on time and on budget despite a number of obstacles that could have thrown us off over the course of 4 years. We navigated through 3 CIO's, 2 reorganizations, the loss of our internal technical lead, twice, and vendor partner account lead once. We overcame the loss of 5 weeks production time defending the CMS selection, after being approved by committee. My team persevered, stayed focused and produced at an extremely high level. Our Project manager, Michael Capelli maintained everyone's view of the goal line and held all parties accountable. I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments of our team and would happily lead this group* into battle any day.
*Digital Communications- Jamie MacDonald (then manager, now rocking my old job), Peggy Lo (visual creative, analytics), Scott Bowers (creative, visual content producer), Christina Casinelli (creative writer, web editor, social media), Andrea Friedman (creative writer, editor, culinary maven) , Mike Cohea (creative photographer, photojournalism) Joe Gugliuzza (videographer, visual storyteller), Sierra Barter (social media), Ed Garabedian (programmer, analytics).
BIG Props to the boots on the ground, JWU's IT department for their professionalism and perseverance. The technology stack in any large institution is complex and ours was no different. There were countless areas to address. Some were big and obvious, most were not. The smart IT folks designed then executed a detailed plan and share credit for the win.
Johnson & Wales University Wins Gold!
EDU Digital Marketing Awards recognize the best educational websites, digital content, electronic communications, mobile media, and social media. A national panel of industry specialists judges each submission on creativity, marketing execution, message impact, technology application, and innovation content. More than 1,000 entries were received and only 147 gold awards were given.
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