Operation integration: overhauled web presence puts customers first

Editor's Notes

1. Put the customer first; make it easy for them to find what they needStreamline the service-request processWebsite as the digital face of the unit
2. Before:Difficult to navigateInformation not consolidatedSpecialized information in unexpected placesAnalytics showed poor performanceMultiple domains, so nearly impossible to measure collective successDecentralized to centralizedNot aligned with MSU brand standards
3. Appeal to the least-knowledgeable customer; someone who has never worked with us before.
4. Timeline:Determine your desired launch date and work backwards. Allow LOTS of time to do it right.Don’t skimp on steps and stick to your guns. Keep your eyes on main goal because it is easy to become sidetracked. Total time: 18 months (January 2012 through June 2013)4,183 hours charged to this project (From IPF alone, beginning to launch (so not all)) At the beginning:Need buy-in from highest management levels to justify framework you work within/decisions madeCommunicate project goals clearly from get-go. The revamp was to focus on customers, not internal stakeholders, so getting that message across and buy-in early – we thought we had, but ended up not based on some reactions near launch and post-launch.
5. Divided up specialties among staff (KI, HB)Project manager was crucial!Expect changes in key project personnel (lead developer, PM change)Establish strong partnerships with other campus entities. Our experience was very positive with MSU Web Team. Well organized, both pioneering new ground together (responsive, accessibility). Both very vested. Project team solidarity, on same page, try to bring together as team. Final two months – needed weekly face-to-face meetingsStudents very instrumental at the end when it was time to actually load content into site
6. Look at every since page under your jurisdiction.Perform a ROT analysis on every page: Is this Relevant? Outdated? Trivial? Fix it!You’ve probably experienced this before in your organizations: often times the website content is put up for a specific reason in a specific point in time and no one reassesses it. Sometimes it is not looked at for years. Cleaning out the cobwebs.Audits (along with analytics) are your greatest defenses to stay the course. Does this change make navigating easier for the customer? No? Then we won’t do that.
7. Talk about keyword searches: key shop. Informed decisions about home page content.87% of traffic immediately left the home page.On the home page of the old site, 74% of traffic was clicking on the home page link, which did absolutely nothing and showed no new content since they simply did not know what else to click.
8. Don’t think in terms of your organizational structure, but think of what customers will look for.Write topics on cards or sticky notes. Disregard old site structure; group the cards logically.Examples:Events support in out unit is housed in Custodial Services.Metal Services crews does insulation for HVAC piping. Also, if you need your TV/projector mounted, call metal services.THE POINT: Customers should not need to know. They just need to trust they can get the service provided.
9. Make sure there are no breakers for your proposal.Beware of territorial issues! Learn where stakeholders are coming from and listen to their concerns. Make compromises without degrading usability.Communication with internal stakeholders (general organization) – important, do 2x as much as think necessary. If relying on KEY stakeholders, make sure to explain expectations we have of them as far as relaying info and being liaisons. We met with managers; they assigned experts in field to give us the most updated info about various areas/services; BUT communication did not go as far as we would have liked. TIP: people wanted visuals very early, earlier than we could give them.Pre-launch: train personnel who respond most frequently to customer inquiries. Make sure they’re familiar with new site pre-launch.Expect to not please everyone. Maintain thick skin.
10. We considered and implemented the feedback we got from these tests: renaming because terms were confusing, reorganizing parts of the site, etc.Link to wireframes:Internet: http://www.hollycebalentine.com/mockflow/publicsite/#/page=af151446191fedd7b77ba42a23e7cab3 File: file:///X:/DKT/Communications/Website/Redesign%20materials/Usability%20tests/Mockflow%20wireframes/Physical%20Plant%20website%20redesign/index.html#/page=af151446191fedd7b77ba42a23e7cab3
11. Anticipate surprises and setbacks! Your unit might reorganize partway through.Expect unit to reorganize midstream. Semi-joking.How do we prevent a massive heart attack“Plan ahead” is always a good answer. You might not get thrown into a top-level reorganization, but down the line you will probably need to quickly add new content areas to your site. Prepare for future development during the initial construction and as you organize present content.
12. Along the way, celebrate successes large and small.Don’t let perfect get in the way of progress. Site never done, but in continuous development. Setting web standard for rest of U. Responsive. Accessibility. Workflow in Cascade.
13. Make an audit schedule! Assign a responsible party to every page of the website to review at least quarterly (more frequently as needed)Establish a governance board for big decisions.Appoint a variety of members with a spectrum of knowledge.
14. 700+ pages on the site and 400+ additional files (about 200 comprise www.msu.edu)IPF on the leading-edge:IPF’s site helped set ‘responsive design’ standards for entire universityUniversity’s new usability and accessibility standards used on site before launched to universitySeen as leader on campus (responsive, accessibility standards, others on campus asking to use our templates, IT Services wanting to mirror our service guide)Stats:Drop-off rate from the home page decreased from 87% to 46.7%(40.3% decrease)In the first month after launch, there have been 27,554 visits (compared to 25,368 in July 2012 across all domains; an 8.6-percent increase) and 19,294 unique visitors (compared to 16,650 in July 2012 across all domains; a 15.9-percent increase).Pages viewed per visit increased from about 2.5 to 2.7. Visit duration in creased by a few seconds.Percentage of new visits: increased from 60.90% in July 2012 to 67.35% in July 2013 (6.45% increase in July)increased from 62.81% in August 2012 to 65.58% in August 2013 (2.77% increase in August)Old site, 74% of traffic was just clicking “home” button, which accomplished nothing. New site, 38% click on the banner navigation; are interested in seeing more content. Click patterns much more distributed. Top percentages besides the banner go to the Hub, Billing, Contact, and Service guide (just what we were hoping to give customers)Customer testimonials:“I just wanted to let you know how much I like the new design of the IPF web site.  I’m finding it much easier to find the things I need, and often run across something new while looking for something else. (That’s a good thing!) Thanks for all you hard work on it. A job VERY well done!”“Many people there said MSU's site is the one to follow. Great work, and please forward kudos to all who worked on it!”Survey results:“Much easier to find information. Great job!”“customers can come to one place and find what they need.”“The look and feel is great! Looks very professional and fits with MSU style.”Key features of IPF main siteSearchable service guideNews and alerts feedConstructionResourcesBusiness partnersIPF employee-only websiteResponsive design (ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VISIT IT ON THEIR TABLETS AND PHONES)Intranet just for employees