| Design firm to begin
presenting research results on AU’s Web presence BY MATT GETTY HUGE, the design firm AU has hired to plan the first phase of its comprehensive Web redesign project, will begin reporting the results of more than a month of research to the university Web Committee this Thursday. The product of interviews with nearly 50 staff and faculty, numerous current and prospective student focus groups, and analysis of AU’s current Web sites as well as those of competitors, the research will guide the recommendations the firm will present later this month. Hired following an extensive search for a firm to help AU reimagine its Web sites and online strategies, HUGE began its work in early March. After meeting with members of the campus community to determine how AU’s schools, departments, and offices communicate via the Web, they interviewed and observed current and prospective students to see how they actually use the Web. The firm has also studied the online presence and strategies of five competitor institutions: George Washington University, Georgetown University, Boston University, Syracuse University, and Emory University. This research, combined with analysis of AU’s Web metrics and messaging, will supplement findings from the interviews and focus groups in the report, which HUGE will also present fully to the president, provost, vice presidents, and deans in the coming weeks. These research findings will provide the basis for the next phase of the project, during which HUGE will develop the audience profiles and content priorities to guide its design recommendations. HUGE will then present its broad “Vision 2008” recommendations and its long-term road map (detailing how and when to lay out those recommendations) in late May to the Web Committee and to the cabinet and deans. After that point, the AU leadership will determine the next steps in this important project, which will stretch into 2008. Details from HUGE’s research findings and future updates on their work will be posted to a Web site currently being developed by the Web Task Force. |
