How do you architect a site so that it can grow seamlessly, effortlessly accommodating new content? The Student Affairs division of a top-ranked local university was looking for just such a solution.
Client
The Director of Development and Community Relations for the Student Affairs Division of an internationally recognized top university in the Bay Area.
Situation
Student Affairs represents one of the University’s five major administrative divisions. Composed of over 25 departments, Student Affairs supports students through a range of crucial student services—from admissions and housing to scholarships and career advisement. Its Web site, however, struggled to communicate the scope of the Division’s services. Poor Web site design and confusing navigation hampered students searching for vital, time sensitive information.
As a major source for student scholarships, Student Affairs also needed to ramp up fundraising efforts. With online donation surging, Student Affairs needed a Web site that would not only communicate their mission, but also help build excitement among donors.
Student Affairs was simultaniously embarking on a Content Management System (CMS) initiative, seeking to unify the look and content of the many Student Affairs departments.
Student Affairs wanted a “fantastically visually appealing” Web site that would be a first-stop Web portal for the university’s students. The Web site would also need to communicate with the Division’s wide-ranging constituents—alumni, donors, prospective students, and the wider educational community.
The committee needed a firm that would work with it in satisfying the wide-ranging requirements of the project’s various stakeholders. It also needed a Web design that was flexible enough to accommodate the CMS, scale well and be easily maintainable—all while reflecting the unique traits of one of the nation’s top universities.
Execution
Dayspring’s designers first led a committee of directors and specialists in finalizing the site’s requirements. Dayspring then designed and produced an updated Web site, highlighting Student Affair’s work on behalf of students. Covering a sprawling range of services, the template-based Web site design flexes with the Division’s growth and updates easily.
Dayspring’s graphic design updated Student Affair’s image within the university, supporting the development department’s fundraising effort.
After handing the Web site templates over to the Student Affairs Division, Dayspring has continued to provide support by assisting with CMS integration and creating a related Web design for one of the Division’s scholarship programs.