Refreshing Georgia State University — a major Atlanta research institution.

Academics     Higher Education     Wordpress Multisite     Enterprise Installation     Mobile Application

Georgia State University consists of 10 colleges and schools and over 150 individual departmental websites. Begining in 2013 we initiated transfer of all sites to WordPress Multisite Network with a variety of themes and major structural changes. 

The current and prospective incoming students were tech-savvy, always-mobile, and hungry for content and information. The key strategies were a user-first, content-first, mobile responsive design. 

We shifted the focus from the internal departmental, college, and administration needs to the external current/prospective students, researchers and community needs. We simplified navigational hierarchies offering fewer options that expand to more options using a megamenu, making the site easier to understand while reducing the number of clicks. Toolbars and breadcrumb menus keep frequently used links readily accessible for repeat users. 

I designed the main themes, child themes, and overall navigational structure. In the end, this content-forward, student-centric approach increased traffic and enrollment year-over-year. 

During this migration we developed a custom theme for the Georgia State University Magazine. The magazine hardcopy is available on campus and delivered to all alumni. The magazine underwent a visual transition to prominently feature photography, typography and infographics. In keeping with this I designed the website to focus on presenting the photography and articles in the best possible way. The end results are online articles that closely match the visual emphasis of the printed copy.

Finally, we designed the Perimeter College Program Manager. The Georgia State University / Perimeter College consolidation added 31 degree programs and 5 campuses to their academic portfolio. With the official acquisition of Perimeter College, GSU launched a degree program manager that allows prospective students to explore their own path towards academic success.