How did we get here?
Although this project is all about looking forward, it’s probably helpful to look backward first. Here’s a quick version of the recent history of the efforts to refresh the WFU Web site.
The University intentionally put a hold on major Web redesign efforts while it went through a process to refine its visual identity. As that project came to a close at the end of 2007 and began to be implemented in early 2008, rebuilding the Web site with those new standards in mind became a high priority.
Wake Forest went through an extensive process to choose BigBad as its agency partner and added the position of Director of Web Development. In the late summer and fall of 2008, a core working team and a steering committee were formed with representatives from across campus.
Also during that time, BigBad held a series of “immersion sessions” on campus. Over several days, BigBad reps spoke with more than 75 people on campus. I sat in on these sessions, and it was a fantastic experience, both educationally and emotionally. To hear so many people from all parts of campus speak about what makes Wake Forest distinctive and about their passion for this place was a great way to learn and to be invigorated about working here.
From there, we worked through a strategy phase with BigBad, using the committees to do a variety of give-and-take. In the end, BigBad left us with several key items, including a large strategy document, some suggested information architecture, some suggested wireframes and feedback on possible content management systems.
From there, Mark Petersen (the new VP of University Advancement) made the decision that we needed to move forward quickly with a redesign of the site. He charged the Web Services team in Creative Services to produce a new look for the top pages in about 30 days, the result of which you’re seeing today.
April 15, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Too bad they only gave the webteam 30 days to resdesign the site, that’s a pity. I commend the web team for producing a decent product in such a short time. Someone should tell the 30 day person that websites, especially university websites, can’t be designed overnight and involve a lot of stakeholders and planning. Something that should not be done in haste…in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter for website that’s been up for years to be up just a little bit longer? It’s also not a good idea to spring this on web visitors overnight – let them see the design in a beta version first. Don’t do a facelift then say you’ll progressively work on it – spend the time up front and get it right the first time around.
-Speaking from experience and several professional web workshops. Also, please try to make the homepage so we dont have to scroll down the page. The news/picture thing takes up too much of the top portion of the screen. All the good info is below the fold. But I do like the look and it’s a good start.
April 16, 2009 at 10:34 am
Meredith, thanks for your comments. You’re absolutely right that good web design often takes a long time, and I know those in charge of setting the deadlines know that. However, in this case, I think we had the advantage of a longer strategy time than most — we didn’t come in cold.
In addition, I think a big advantage (that we didn’t realize until we were done) was avoiding the “paralysis by analysis” trap. It’s easy to get stuck in an endless loop of code validation, user testing, feedback, changes, etc. We have someone new in charge, and they decided (correctly, I’d say) that our site was so outdated that we couldn’t waste any more “thinking time.” We had to improve WFU’s image as quickly as possible, then continue to be attentive and be better every day after that.
“Ready, aim, fire” is the old saying. At times, all of us can get caught in the Aim stage. You can aim forever, trying to make it perfect. Sometimes, you have to fire, see where you’re at and aim, then fire again. We hope to keep firing on this one.