The team charged with redeveloping meredith.edu will soon reach some important milestones in the effort to improve Meredith’s web presence.

 

The purpose of the Meredith College website is to support all functions of the College through electronic and interactive communication with its various audiences, internal and external, with particular emphasis on student recruitment and fundraising. This communication includes admissions, academic, administrative, promotional, development, and alumnae-, parent- and student-focused content.

 

The Department of Marketing is in the process of building an initial framework for the new site. The site is being created in a responsive design style, which means the site adapts to the size of the device being used to view it. Whether someone views meredith.edu on a computer monitor, a tablet or a smart phone, the site will adjust to the size of that screen, with full functionality. This new style of design eliminates the need for a separate mobile site.

 

During the 2011-12 academic year, the Website Development Advisory Committee, led by Electronic Communications Manager David Timberlake, gathered data from each of the audiences served by the website. The committee worked with Visionpoint Marketing, a local firm that specializes in web design, on this project.

 

Input was sought through internal surveys and meetings with campus community members, and through focus groups with prospective students, alumnae, parents of current and prospective students, employers and guidance counselors.

 

Information gathered through this research process was shared with the Website Development Advisory Committee and other faculty and staff representatives. The data was then used to create a proposed Information Architecture (I.A.) for meredith.edu, which was shared with the same group.

 

The next step, which will be completed this summer, is user testing. Prospective undergraduates and graduates have been invited to share opinions on new admissions and academics sections of the site. Input from user testing will be used to adjust the proposed I.A. before the final site design process begins.

 

As part of the web redevelopment process, Visionpoint is also assisting with the creation of a Governance and Standards policy for meredith.edu. This document will focus on issues including what can be published on the website and who has the responsibility of updating sections of the site.

 

The new site is on track to be unveiled in Fall 2012. Look for more information in Campus Connections as this process continues.

In this Issue:

Meredith Course Aims to Help Local Pets Find Homes
Williams Receives Meredith College Distinguished Alumna Award
Meredith Student Earns NC Biotechnology Fellowship
Meredith Holds 12th Annual LeaderShape Institute

Wellness Tip: Walk While at Work

Website Redevelopment Project Update
Faculty/Staff Accomplishments
Upcoming Events
News Briefs

 

Have you presented research or attended a professional meeting recently? Has your department earned an award? Share news of these accomplishments and more with the Meredith community. Faculty and staff are invited to email items to Melyssa Allen, “Campus Connections” editor, at allenme@meredith.edu.