web concept design for osu fisher college of business

Fisher Website 2.0

Next Generation Web Design:Evolution and Enhancements

fisher.osu.edu

March 2009

Offices of Information Technology Services and External Relations


Website Mission and Vision

• Mission

to attract, retain, and serve Fisher’s current and future faculty, students, and alumni through emerging and existing Internet technologies.

• Vision

To build a virtual community and embraces the work of our thought leaders and establishes Fisher as a resource in the eyes of our audiences through the services and information we provide.


Key Objectives Foundation

• Built off of Discovery Phase website audit between March - October 2007

• Benchmarking research of business schools, universities, and other industries between May 2007 - July 2008

• Extension of brand guidelines enhancements completed in the summer 2008

• Save money. Use of vendor’s creative web design and familiarity with Fisher


Key Objectives Foundation

• Reach and Scope• global audience• entire college web presence

• own websites – internal/external• 3rd party user interfaces

• Impact

• consistent college look and feel

• streamline development and marketing


Fisher Client Focused

• Internal stakeholder review• feedback and suggestions• included in the design• align with units’ goals and audience

• Links currently accessible from the homepage will remain


Key Objectives

• Advance Fisher’s brand

• Enhance the user experience

• Improve website management

• Improve Internet marketability

Concepts shown as a flow from the home

page to level 4


Advance Fisher’s Brand

• Reinforce college as a market leader

• Modernize look and feel of design

• Establish consistency – one college

• Create a memorable experience

• Support marketing and communications

• Leverage OSU’s brand and web design.


Brand Design Approach

• Evolution of previous design and new brand guidelines

• use of enhanced photography • distinguish brand – e.g. medallions

• Quickly convey industry leadership

• Offer relevant content

• Positive user experience

December 2008 | Offices of Information Technology Services and External Relations

Brand Design Approach

• Deliver clear, multiple communication paths to most desired content

• Create more opportunities to connect and interact with the site

• Highlight and credentials personal stories


Enhance the User Experience

• Consistent, no-thought navigation• Intuitive access to breadth and depth of content from across the college

• Enhance rich-media and text content • photos, video, audio• content drill-down

• Build foundation for social media tools• Engage the users on a deeper level


Visitor Approach

• New visitors goal

• quickly gain top-level understanding• inspire them to learn more• provide multiple paths to key areas• reduce number of clicks to content• easily find contacts and connections


Visitor Approach

• Repeat visitors goal

• find new, updated information• download or feed information• access to key contacts or information• quick access to MyFisher• deeper level of interaction• become advocates, word-of-mouth


Improve Website Management

• Build framework for expansion of content and application

• Support template structure

• Integration into a CMS

• Layout and design standards allow for improved non-technical staff training


Improve Website Marketability

• Keyword optimization

• Allow bots to crawl content paths easier

• Intra-site marketing opportunity


Improve Website Marketability

• Extend the user experience• cross-leverage the design to 3rd party applications• consistency across Fisher related sites

• Compliance

• OSU Web Accessibility Center• Section 508


Design Strategy – Home Page

• Single visual design elements combine to create a tone, engages users, and invites interaction

• photos, architecture, medallions, unique angles, color palette

• Use of screen real estate• expandable and flexible areas• time sensitive messaging capable


Design Strategy – Home Page

• Establishes layout for entire website• position of global elements• position of navigation

• New depth and edge to homepage• all-purpose feature gallery• additional outlet for hi-profile content

• Opportunity to establish guidelines


Design Strategy – Sub-levels

• Clean and open feel

• Improved page architecture – readability

• Content displayed to encourage deeper exploration into site


Design Strategy – Sub-levels

• Graphic elements provide visual cues for enhanced usability

• Modular sub-design offers customizable options within the brand design

• Stylized tables, classes, and visual formats cleanly display information CONSISTENTLY across entire website

Fisher’s Website as of December 2008

November2008

OSU new web design

June 2009

Current web

design

November2008

Half step forward

Usability and navigation tests

Use of strong photography

Medallions as distinguishing factor

Clear division of screen real estate

All who have links currently will remain

New depths of new and constant info

Slide 10

OSU navigation bar

OSU brand feel

Fisher branded

Masthead visible on all web pages

Primary navigation is audience-based

Secondary navigation

Utility navigation Slide 11

Display of Fisher multimedia gallery

Photos or video

Additional layer to home page content

Shows depth of events and impact

Faster drill down of key messages

Slide 12

Display use of drop-down navigation

ADA compliant

User familiarity

Expandable / flexible

Standardized footer visible on every page

Slide 13

Level 1 Web Page

Consistent layout

“Hot buttons” geared toward respective audiences

Visual icons

Use of style and photos

Begin use of “breadcrumb navigation”

Level 2 Web Page

Consistent layout

Flexible space in design to allow various forms of content and applications

Showcase events and announcements

Potential user-generated content

Level 3 Web Page

Photography banners maintain graphic design of the brand at the lowest level

Example of styled table for consistent use

Use of Fisher color palette throughout

Level 3 Web Page

Photography banners also carry key messages and showcase faculty, teaching, and events

Column style can be a layout option depending on the content

Level 3 Web Page

Example of content display on brand

Modules on the right are flexible

Modules can be created as tools or widgets that can be used across the entire website

Level 3 Web Page

Shows flexibility in the template structure

Different ways to display content to the user

Use of medallion as signature element

Level 4 Web Page

Consistent layout

Example styled tables and displaying content with flexibility

Example of a way to display multimedia content inside of a page

Left navigation shows location to user

web concept design for osu fisher college of business

Design

screen real

information

visitor approach

user experience

levels offices

entire website

external relations

deeper level