One experience for different audiences

Please note this was an in-class project and is not the real Farmingdale State College homepage. For the official Farmingdale State College homepage, visit http://farmingdale.edu/

The Farmingdale State College website reaches a number of different audiences, including future/current students, faculty/staff, and alumni. It is critical that it communicates the right information to these audiences, in a way that is clear and discoverable. Each group of users has distinct needs and goals from the website.

This project explores the Farmingdale State College’s website homepage, our user research, and how the website can be improved to better serve the needs of the different users who use and rely on the website.

Goals

1

Make recommendations to improve the website usability, based on data and findings from actual users of the website.

2

Improve and streamline the information architecture and navigation menus

3

Refine the experience for existing users, by making logins to campus services directly accessible from the homepage.

4

Expand the results of the site search, to include more types of information

As the Project Leader, I was responsible for facilitating discussions about the user experience, refining the design direction, as well as producing the working prototype.

Research

We assessed the current state of the website, how users interact with it, and each audience’s goals. We spoke with students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders about their experience with the website and what content they use regularly. We also received user-submitted feedback about the site and what issues they were facing.

Problem

The navigation menus for accessing campus services was convoluted and difficult to navigate

Users had to navigate dense mega menus, containing 25-30 menu items, in order to find links. Links to access email, OASIS, and ANGEL required 2-3 clicks each to access the login page. Menu items were all visually treated the same and it was difficult to differentiate between them.

Problem

The campus directory was not included in search results

Users found it difficult to find content on the website using search. The campus directory, for example, was built on a separate system and was not searchable using the site’s primary search box.

We also ranked the homepage’s content, determining the importance of each feature to the different audiences. With this information, we developed sketches and wireframes for a streamlined user experience for the different types of users.

Sketches

We sketched several options for the layout of the website, each exploring different ways of providing the most relevant links and information to the different audiences.

Wireframes

Wireframes were then created which outline the core layout and functionality of the site. Shown are the different hover states, search, and login user flows. We decided to pursue an option where the core homepage navigation is audience and task driven. The experience is straightforward and the relevant content for each user type is immediately discoverable. Using our research, we included one-click access to email, OASIS, and Angel; as well as improved search suggestions.

Prototype & Final Designs

As design options were explored, final design comps were completed and a functional prototype was then built.