This document outlines the process of redesigning Dartmouth University's website. It discusses conducting extensive research through interviews and surveys, setting refined goals, and developing a strategic plan. The new site architecture was informed by making the content specific to Dartmouth while maintaining a clean, modern design. The redesign occurred in phases, starting with an interim solution and moving towards a fully responsive site. Departmental needs were also considered to balance independence and support of the overall brand. The results showed that leadership, internal support, and respect for challenges led to successful cooperation and adoption of the new website.

1. Portrait of a Modern .EDU Website
PREPARED FOR:November 11, 2013

2. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
• Who We Are & What We Do
• .Edu Sites Are Unique
• Listening… Really Listening
• Site Concerns = Bigger Issues
• Setting Goals
TODAY’S AGENDA
• Strategy Development Informing UX
• A Purposed & Fluid Visual Identity
• Building It… Step-By-Step
• Departmental DNA
• Results & The Future

3. Who We Are & What We Do
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

4. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
Sarah Memmi
Director of Editorial Services
Dartmouth
Gene Lewis
Chief Creative Officer
Digital Pulp

5. the digital pulp
term
!
a cushion of soft tissue on
the palmar of the distal
phalanx of a finger

6. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
Harvard University
DIGITAL PULP CLIENTS

7. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
BASIC PROCESS

8. .Edu Sites Are Unique
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

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✓ The battle for home page supremacy
!
✓ Not all audiences are equal
!
✓ Taming the content beast
!
✓ Consensus building is good
!
but...
!
✓ Let your flag fly
.EDU CHALLENGES

10. Listening… Really Listening
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
Listening… Really Listening
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

11. Portrait of a Modern .Edu WebsitePortrait of a Modern .Edu Website
DISCOVERY
‣ The more input, the better
‣ Surveys are fantastic tools
‣ Let groups hear each other
‣ Document, document, document
‣ Town Halls are powerful

12. Portrait of a Modern .Edu WebsitePortrait of a Modern .Edu Website
BY THE NUMBERS
500+
people
interviewed
50+
departments
& centers
500+
survey
responses
2
town
halls
60+
hours of
interviews

13. Site Concerns = Bigger Issues
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

14. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
“It’s just a web site.”

15. TIP OF THE ICEBERG
‣ Brand work comes with the territory
‣ Leadership needs to define and own the mission & message
‣ Make it genuine or risk losing trust

16. Home Page

17. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE…
BRAND, VOICE & NATURE SITE DESIGN & EXPERIENCE
PRIORITIES

18. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
CLEAR BRANDING
=
CLEAR MESSAGE
=
CLEAR PURPOSE

22. Setting Goals
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

23. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
“We need a better site.”

24. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
REFINED GOALS
1. Reach and engage Prospective Students
2. Present a unified Dartmouth (not just undergrad)
3. Promote and elevate the school’s brand and message
4. Introduce a clean, modern and elegant User Experience
5. Elevate opportunity; discourage mandate
6. Deliver a great site - not just a great .edu site
7. Keep. It. Manageable.

25. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE…
• Leadership is pleased with the results
• Prospective and current students respond positively
• Campus feels site represents the school
• Admissions feedback is positive
• Department & Center adoption is positive

26. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
The site needs to expand and elevate Dartmouth's
perceived stature in the minds of prospective students,
parents, faculty and the world.
ULTIMATELY…

27. Strategic Development
Informing UX
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

28. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
WHATWE LEARNED
‣ Clarity and simplicity are paramount
‣ Focus on external audiences... but provide a path for internal audiences
‣ Employ the tactic of “show, don’t tell”
‣ Reflect the supportive & collaborative culture of the school
‣ Create a framework that can evolve
‣ Deliver impact

29. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
ARCHITECTURE EVOLUTION
Home
Admissions Academics Research Global About Life on Campus

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MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Admissions
Academics Research Global
About
Life on Campus
These are generic and users will seek them out.

31. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Academics Research Global Life on Campus

32. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Academics Research
Global
Life on Campus
Global content should be integrated throughout the site

33. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Academics Research Life on Campus

34. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Academics Research Life on Campus

35. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Academics Research Life on Campus
Language Matters

36. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
MAKING IT DARTMOUTH
Home
Education Research
Life &
Community
Language Matters

37. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
ARCHITECTURE = ESSENCE
Home
Education Research
Life &
Community

38. A Purposed Visual Identity
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

39. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
DESIGN DIRECTION
Simple
Modern
Light
Engaging
…with a nod to tradition
Clean

44. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
A RESPONSIVE APPROACH

46. Building It… Step-By-Step
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

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A PHASED APPROACH
‣ School year schedules demanded a fall debut for the site - but code and
CMS weren’t ready
‣ Interim solutions can be messy - re-skinning was a key to success
‣ Don’t bite off more that you can chew - keep it simple
‣ Even responsive can be done in a “light” fashion.

50. Who We Are & What We Do
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

51. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
FALL 2012 SPRING 2013

52. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

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54. Departmental DNA
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

55. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
DEPARTMENT IDENTITY IS CRITICAL
‣ Departments need a sense of self - independence is highly valued
‣ For their areas of expertise the parent brand plays a diminished role
‣ Department-level site resources are minimal
‣ Balancing support, visual design and even template types matters

56. Admissions Schools Centers Global Arts Athletics Giving
| EDUCATION | RESEARCH | LIFE & COMMUNITY
PeopleGraduate Program Research Areas Societies & Labs News & Events
EDUCATION
The Department of
Biological Sciences
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet
dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper
suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing
elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad
minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
photo: Student, Caylean Carey photo: Professor, Kevin Petersonphoto: inspirational
Welcome Class of 2016!
Professor Peart's open house presentation to
the incoming class of 2016 an accompanying
handout now available. Congratulations and
welcome to Dartmouth Class of 2016!
Best Presentation Award at Society
for Freshwater Science
Cayelan Carey '06 has just won the 2012
Best Oral Presentation in Applied Research
at the Society for Freshwater Science
meeting.
Prof. Peterson: Understanding the
Evolution of Mammals
Professor Kevin Peterson is featured in a
Nature article "Phylogeny: Rewriting
evolution"for his work using microRNAs to
understand the evolution of mammals.
Undergraduate Studies
Contact

58. Admissions Schools Centers Global Arts Athletics Giving
| EDUCATION | RESEARCH | LIFE & COMMUNITYEDUCATION
The Institute for
Writing & Rhetoric
Christiane Donahue, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Writing and Rhetoric
Associate Professor of Linguistics
Teaching
"I am interested in combining French functional linguistics and
discourse analysis with composition-rhetoric scholarship, my
research interests include cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary
analysis, pluringuality and internationalization, genre study, and the
development of multi-method research approaches drawn from
European and United States traditions."
Writing 5
French Linguistics 1 & 2
View Resume/CV
Speaking Engagements
9th IAIMTE International Conference
UPEC: Université Paris-Est Créteil / France, Institut Universitaire
603-555-5555
c.donahue@dartmouth.edu
PeopleGraduate Program Prizes & Awards Materials & Support News & EventsUndergraduate Studies
Contact
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60. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

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74. Results & The Future
Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website

75. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
RESULTS

76. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
‣ Mandates don’t work; carrot - not stick
‣ Build the argument with substance
‣ Strong internal leadership cannot be underestimated
‣ Respect for each individual and an acknowledgement of the
challenges they face will yield cooperation
‣ Be bold and stay the course (this is a super marathon, not a
100m dash)
ADDITIONAL LEARNING

77. Portrait of a Modern .Edu Website
Thank You.
Sarah Memmi
Director of Editorial Services
Dartmouth
Gene Lewis
Chief Creative Officer
Digital Pulp
Gene@DigitalPulp.comSarah.A.Memmi@dartmouth.edu