Time: April 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Speakers: Rashmi Tenneti, Maggie Evenson, Stacy Billman
Is your university website truly serving your students, prospective applicants, and other key stakeholders? This management-focused session provides a strategic roadmap for overseeing and directing a successful website redesign project using proven UX methodologies and data-driven decision making.
Duration: 60 minutes | Format: Strategy Workshop with Interactive Components
We’ll walk through the complete redesign process from strategy development to implementation planning, using our Work in Progress project, Illinois.edu as a case study. You’ll discover how to:
- Interpret analytics data to make informed strategic decisions
- Leverage search pattern analysis for content prioritization
- Establish effective benchmarking processes against peer institutions
- Organize and oversee user research initiatives like card sorting
- Develop and implement SEO strategies specific to higher education
- Build and manage cross-functional project teams for optimal results
Participants will receive a comprehensive project management worksheet template to guide their own redesign initiatives. Whether you’re planning a complete website overhaul or targeted improvements, you’ll leave with practical tools to lead a more engaging, accessible, and effective digital experience for your university community.
Ideal for: marketing managers, content strategists, marketing directors, and digital communications teams in higher education looking to lead website redesign projects. No technical web development knowledge required.
Time: April 3, 2:45 am – 3:45 pm
Speaker: Johnathan Grant
Hey, web wizards! Ready to uncover the secrets behind a seamless web review process? Join us for an in-depth case study on how a dynamic University of Kansas team revolutionized their web review system by optimizing workflows and forging strong partnerships with their customers. This session will highlight the innovative techniques and collaborative strategies that drove efficiency and excellence. Discover how the team streamlined operations, leveraged cutting-edge tools, and worked hand-in-hand with customers to ensure a smooth, effective review process. Whether you’re a web development pro or just getting started, you’ll gain valuable insights into creating a more efficient and customer-centric web environment. Let’s elevate our web game together!
Time: April 3, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Bill McLaughlin
Is a full website redesign out of reach? No problem. In this session, we’ll guide you through smart, strategic updates that can significantly boost your website’s performance. We’ll explore practical ways to enhance your website, making it more effective at engaging prospective students, even with an incremental investment end effort. This session is perfect for higher ed marketers looking to maximize their site’s potential while staying within their current framework.
You’ll learn how to:
- Prioritize your limited time and energy
- Give your top pages the love and attention they deserve
- Gain momentum with simple tasks and weekly goals
- Keep content sprawl at bay
- Approach smaller design changes and add-on functionality
- Utilize tools and tricks to improve quality, accessibility, and SEO.
Time: April 3, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Chris Axtman-Barker
University Housing worked to analyze resident opinion data to refine communications encouraging residents to live on campus for a second (or third, or fourth!) year. Data backed key messages then ran through communications and marketing materials for a digital-first returner campaign with startling success. The presentation will include follow up survey data.