Project Purpose

The website redesign project is the university's effort to refresh its Web presence through improved design, structure, user experience and maintainability.

Background

Following recommendations from its Enrollment Management and Strategic Plan initiatives, the university recently launched a project to refresh the ODU Web presence.

As the university's farthest-reaching marketing tool and most-used repository of institutional information, the ODU Web site serves an extraordinary amount of constituents both on and off campus. To better meet the needs of all users and to represent Old Dominion University to its many audiences as the modern, multicultural institution it is, the redesign aims to:

• Incorporate new branded designs that convey our rigorous academics, cutting-edge research and collaborations, cosmopolitan community and modern campus;
• Create a more interactive and engaging site;
• Present a focused, easy-to-navigate site; and
• Create pages that speak directly to the needs of ODU's internal audiences.

Project Goals

• Provide a new look for the university's webpages that are consistent with the university brand.
• Create a focus on content and website functionality and move from an organizational hierarchy to a functional hierarchy. The website will be structured around how users use the Web site, not necessarily how the university is organized.
• Update Web site content. Not only will the new look match the university brand, but the language used on the pages will be consistent with the brand.
• Implement a Web content management system (WCMS). The WCMS will allow content owners to focus more on their content and less on its presentation. The WCMS will provide a consistent look throughout the site, allow re-use of content, provide better management and many other features.
• Provide flexibility and timeliness in Web site maintenance. Content owners will have the option to maintain their own content via the university's new WCMS or allow the University Web Communications staff to make the updates.
• Create pages based on functions and needs that may pull content from several departments, giving the end-user a one-stop shop for information on a given topic.
• Improve the user experience by using clear terminology and avoiding "institution speak."