Columbia College Chicago and iFactory partnered to reimagine Columbia's website in ways that dispensed with conventional paradigms, while introducing data and strategy to the mix.

1. reimagining the higher
education website
the art of engaging prospectives

2. will vautrain @vautrain
director of digital strategy
columbia college chicago
pete gaioni @petegaioni
director of account services
iFactory (Boston)

3. tintype
■ 17-year olds imagine their future in terms of
academic programs and course offerings
■ they know what they want to do with their
lives and the 30-year impact of decisions
■ if we can get them to apply, the “fit” doesn’t
matter; they’ll learn to love us

4. frame
■ columbia
■ challenges
■ ideas
■ solutions
■ outcomes

8. not a pretty picture
■ rising costs
■ low retention, graduation
■ lack of clear transfer paths

9. tell-tale signs of an assembly-line
higher ed website

15. uninspired
■ “my content” mentality
■ no content strategy (no strategy period)
■ lack of workflow
■ lack of editorial planning & oversight

16. artful ideas
■ use data to fight subjectivity
■ talk in terms of personas (“would patrick?”)
■ content strategy to inspire and aspire
■ assume mobile

17. research (2011, n=182)
user priorities*
■ programs
■ admissions
■ financial aid
* hardest to find

18. tricky decision-makers

19. discovery
■ stakeholder interviews
■ strategy articulation
■ town hall

20. strategy
■ self-identify as “right-fit” and convert
■ consistency - expectations vs. experience
■ understand user's mental model

21. architecture
■ user personas
■ card sorting
■ sitemap
■ wireframes

23. content
■ storytelling
■ 100% new academic content
■ purpose of key pages (gathercontent)

25. design
■ agile, iterative process
■ (design > content > prototype > design)

26. testing
■ sitemap testing october 2013
■ prototype testing april 2014

28. gallery opening

33. outcomes (total content pages)
36,000 (2013)
944 (2014 - new site)
= 97% reduction

34. outcomes (duration)
2.7 minutes (2013)
16.25 minutes (2014 - new site)
= 600% increase

35. outcomes (pages/session)
2.4 (2013)
3.5 (2014 - new site)
= 46% increase

36. outcomes (bounce)
56% (2013)
41% (2014 - new site)
= 27% reduction

37. outcomes (inquiries/month)
470 (2013)
855 (new site)
= 82% increase

38. hindsight
■ conventional wisdom leads to uninspired work
■ creativity and data aren’t mutually exclusive
■ listen to stakeholders and talk to them
■ content strategy is not content migration
■ centralize governance, decentralize contribution

39. thank you!
questions?
@vautrain
@petegaioni