A complete redesign of the main Purdue homepage seen by over 7.5 million people each year. The design includes a user-submitted photo campaign with the background photo changing daily to keep the site fresh and shows campus to the fullest. Analytics drive weekly changes to the content and a customization feature allows users to pick and choose the resources they want to see. Social media is displayed in real time using user-generated content from TINT, a social media aggregator.
Process:
Our process involved months of research, iterations and testing to get the final product we see today. After evaluating our previous design, we did a preliminary round of user testing with two of our largest audience segments; future students and current students. We used a combination of surveys and A/B testing to collect data showing what are users expected to see, how they utilized the site, and what they liked/disliked about the current live version.
After many rounds of designs and two additional rounds of user testing with all audience groups, both task-based and visual comparison, we launched the new homepage redesign.
With companies using personalized marketing becoming more and more popular, we wanted to provide relevant content to each individual user regardless of who they were. Our tiles across the bottom are customizable and able to be saved for each time the user returns to the site.
Research showed our users wanted relevant and fresh content, and proved the value of photography. We capitalized on both by embedding a social media aggregator into the page that displays live content. We also update our news/events items featured proof points on the page multiple times a week.
Our biggest feature is the large hero image which changes every day. We created a campaign, Picture Your Purdue (see “Picture Your Purdue Campaign” project in portfolio to learn more about the campaign) to collect user submitted images of campus, events and their experiences to populate the homepage each day. This has provided a new look and feel to the homepage every time you visit the site and gives campus and the community an opportunity to share their Purdue experience.
And the best part is we are constantly learning and updating as we go. The design has evolved numerous times since the launch date, showing flexibility within both our team and the design itself.
Result:
• Increased University Development Office donors by 133% and donations by 202% using the new redesign and updated strategy campaign
• Bounce rate has declined 8% and search rate has declined 7.81%. The more simplified and organized design allows users to find what they’re looking for faster and easier.
• Page views has increased 1.5% since last year (over 101k more).
Winner of Silver 2018 Davey Awards - Best Homepage for Website - Feature
Client: Purdue University Marketing