Overview
Develop a content strategy that will encourage more prospective students to apply to the program. Achieving this goal also creates an information architecture that benefits the user experience and makes content management and creation easier. Links to full project documents above.
URL: www.commlead.uw.edu
Recommendations
The recommendations are based on site audit observations, analysis, and strategy best practices. They are organized in 4 categories: Information Architecture, Content Management, Universal Accessibility, and User Psychology.
I. Information Architecture
Divide and label Home Page content with title cases that direct different audiences to relevant content. It will be especially helpful when you divide the prospective student user with the prospective partner user.
Add tracking codes to CTAs and links to understand what users are responding to and adjust content accordingly.
Place CTAs in prominent locations throughout the site.
II. Content Management
Give titles to content modules that address who they are for rather than what they are about. Ie: the alumni module currently reflects information about identifying Alumni Fellows as a student, not information directed to program alumni.
Display the most important modules above the fold.
Structured Content
Link to details about the important information below the fold or to a separate page.
Identify helpful metadata to identify desirable searchable elements that encourage site exploration. (see part III for examples)
Collect and record data from newly created content
Establish parameters and requirements for different content types and the location and circumstances where they can appear on
III. Universal Accessibility
Remove dead links
Remove text overlays from images
Text should be separate from images so accessibility tools can read them.
Discourage the use of colloquial references to “CommLead”. Stay consistent with “Communication Leadership” as the name of the program.
Discourage the use of acronyms MCDM and MCCN, apart from the full name of the degree.
Embed all video and linked content within the site so the user stays on task and won’t be distracted by another site’s content.
IV. User Psychology
CTAs for applications should appear with the application cutoff clearly displayed next to it to give prospective students a sense of urgency.
Provide a CTA above the fold.
Place student and alumni testimonials and work examples near CTAs and other important content.
Display important information in bullet format or shorter sentences.
V. Conclusion
The Communication Leadership Program’s greatest asset is its students. The future success of the program depends on attracting students who strive to achieve professional excellence. While this strategy’s goal is to increase the number of applications, the program can only do that by communicating that it’s working on the cutting-edge of the communications field. This strategy is not comprehensive in representing how each element of the site should look. But, it does offer recommendations that will be fundamental in understanding how users will want to use the site in the future.