The University of Kansas moved their unit websites, (schools, departments, etc.,) to Drupal (content management system) in 2012. They implemented a new design based on current trends and developed a custom template around that design. I came to the University of Kansas in 2015, charged with updating the business school's university website. The trends from just a few years before became quickly outdated when responsive design gained popularity, due to the increasing number of mobile devices accessing websites.
\n\nI focused on four distinct areas in my redesign of the business school website:
\n\nThe homepage was one of the first (among other university sites) to use a full-width banner. In a later update, the image banner was replaced with a full-width video banner. The banner was overlaid with facts or figures that promoted outstanding aspects of the school, in a rotating display of linked graphics. These graphics were specially designed for this display, but they often resembled custom icons and infographics used elsewhere.
\n\nThe top of the page was designed for quick access to important information about the school, its programs, and its successes. Below the banner there was a secondary menu with shortcuts to important sections and a link to admissions information. The foremost content prominently displayed news and events, and a third column contained the school's Twitter feed. Further down the page were statistics, infographics, links for alumni, and curated video content.
\n\nDeeper into the site, new prospective student pages utilized some of the same infographics, in addition to other, new icons and graphics to highlight or frame important information. These pages focused on the undergraduate experience and, as such, the new icons and graphics represented those interests. Information was concise and broken into areas highlighting the strengths of the school, the takeaways from studying there, and the experience of being new to campus.
\n\nBehind the scenes, there were custom content types that would allow any content creator, with any level of experience, to consistently produce the same content for the homepage and other distinct areas of the site. Examples include degree pages, and pages for programs and research centers that functioned as micro-sites within the business school website.
\n\nFinally, the entire site was made responsive. Using CSS, styling was added to provide breakpoints that didn't previously exist for new content, as well as some existing elements. Adding responsive behavior may have been the most significant improvement, creating a user-friendly experience across an array of devices and welcoming users to the business school experience.
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