Redesigning a website is about more than slapping some fresh pixels on an old page. It is about understanding the audience needs, stakeholder goals, and the site’s unique history well before any new design takes place.
The University of Michigan Business & Finance website is a gateway to the division's strategic business units at the university including Facilities & Operations, Finance, Information Technology Services and more. In addition to its role as a portal, www.bf.umich.edu is also a central repository for content supporting the growth of collaboration and excellence in the Business & Finance organization and conveying and fulfilling the division's vision, mission, and values.
A popular site receiving several thousand unique visitors per month, the B&F site was in need of a makeover to its dated original design, a new, more modular approach to its content hierarchy and some user experience improvements to key content.
Interactive Strategic Framework
A key feature of the Business & Finance website is the Strategic
Framework. Originally, the framework was a collection of links to
discrete pages with detailed information. The user had to do a lot
of clicking back and forth to see all the information. WTW developed
an interactive format for the framework that mirrored its original
intent—a hierarchical flowchart. Users can now click on a framework
item and see the detail instantly, never leaving the page.
WTW Design Group worked with B&F leadership and the U-M Information Technology Services web team to identify critical goals for the redesign and balance these with audience needs and ongoing maintenance requirements. WTW also provided guidance on developing and maintaining key content, search engine optimization best practices, and usability standards.
