Home page design project
PROJECT 1
The University gateway
A system of modular design elements that give visitors a taste of Chico State's new colors and graphic style.
STATUS
Live at www.csuchico.edu
DATE
Launched in Fall 2022
ROLE
Designer, Site Build, UX writing, Stakeholder management
RESULTS
An activation of prospect engagement via approachable calls-to-action
SCOPE
Refresh important high level pages on the University website with the end goal of increasing enrollment by maximizing prospective student engagement..
Ensure the information most important to prospective students is easy to find, presented clearly, and inspirational.
Present Chico’s 40+ academic programs and degrees in a format that is photo-friendly, concise, and consistent.
Align elements of these high-level pages with the colors and styles documents in the brand identity redesign.
This project brought my team together to work with University Communications and Admissions to ensure website content is giving the best impression of the University and that the tools for the job are versatile and available.
This was a highly collaborative project that involved 2 designers, 2 web developers, and a communications specialist. We used higher ed-focused research data to inform design and content strategies that showcased the most important web content for prospective students. We slimmed and restructured the pages to prioritize this information and present less text-heavy material. We added Google Analytics tools to track user behavior more consistently and regularly benchmark data.
FEATURES DEVELOPED
new top-bar navigation that is application focused and uses Chico State's primary color palette
user interface elements such as CTAs, layouts, target links, landing pages and banners along with broader value proposition concepts
synthesized new styles into our landing page graphics as part of the university rebranding
gained proficiency using and contributing to design systems using Figma libraries
reduction of weekly maintenance needs, saving over 120 hours per year in staff resources
The fundraising goal was met by the intended date, and our partners for the project were very happy with the results of our work.
"Francie, thanks and well done. Your presentation was so effective in conveying the progress of the entire Web Services team. I feel that the team has taken the campus web and transitioned it to a critical success factor for every element of the strategic plan."
— Mike Magrey, Director of Creative Media and Technology