Strategic design can have a real impact on your school. Discover how a solid web design can create opportunities to acquire new applicants and to engage with your current students, parents, and alumni. Let us show you how Blackbaud’s design services team can transform your vision into a reality.

1. create a
solid strategy
FOR YOUR WEBSITE
AGA SIUDA design principal | KATHERINE TILL Senior visual designer
BROOKE HANSEL business development manager

2. 2
[ AGENDA ]
Content is King
§ How to create most effective messaging and information architecture
§ Why your site navigation matters
The Power of Simplicity
§ Why it’s good to keep your main calls to action direct
§ Brand clarity
§ Design principles rediscovered – think mobile first!
UX Design
§ Tips on creating more user-friendly interfaces
§ How to engage and interact with your audiences

3. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Tell the story. YOUR story.
§ Highlight your unique value and brand qualities right on the home page
§ Use direct language that defines “what’s in it for me” for the prospect
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4. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Tell the story. YOUR story.
§ Use multimedia and interactive design elements to keep the user
engaged
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5. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
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Full Sail University uses
video in the slideshow area
to give a look into an every
day student life at Full Sail.

6. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Tell the story. YOUR story.
§ Structure the content hierarchy on each page based on your users main
tasks and needs.
§ Not everything can be equally important. Prioritize for maximum impact.
For an example of strong content hierarchy and clarity, see Lenoir-Rhyne
University website at http://www.lr.edu/
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7. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Tell the story. YOUR story.
§ Structure the content hierarchy on each page based on your users main
tasks and needs.
§ Not everything can be equally important. Prioritize for maximum impact.
§ Take it a step further and expand your story beyond the main home
page. Develop Admission websites, like this one for TCU Admissions:
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http://viewbook.tcu.edu/

8. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Create a pathway for your users.
§ Your main website navigation is there to help you get your users to the
right places on your website.
guide them.
Probability of success drops from
64% to 28% when we go from an easy
to a difficult search problem.
[ Converting Search into Navigation: http://www.nngroup.com/
articles/search-navigation/ ]
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9. [ CONTENT IS KING ]
Create a pathway for your users.
§ Keep the naming conventions consistent with your brand tone but
intuitive and simple.
§ Think about how navigation options will be presented on mobile
§ Look at your Google Analytics to see what people are searching for the
most and offer that content to them in the navigation.
§ TEST IT! Running a quick card sorting exercise with even a small group
of users can tell you what is intuitive to them so you don’t have to
guess. Use an online tool like Optimal Workshop
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10. When appropriate, show off your uniqueness within
your navigation by highlighting your specialty.

11. [ SIMPLICITY ]
Keep your calls to action easy to understand.
§ Unless it is part of your branding and you know your audiences will
understand it, keep your main calls to action simple. For example,
some clients may use MY “UNIVERSITY” to give access to a student
portal, while others will simply offer “LOGIN” as a point of entry.
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the power of

12. [ SIMPLICITY ]
Keep your calls to action easy to understand.
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the power of

13. [ SIMPLICITY ]
Communicate the main idea about your brand.
§ It is important to let the prospects know how you are DIFFERENT from
your competitors.
§ Form a concise statement, in which you communicate your PROMISE
to your constituents.
§ Answer WHY should I go there or donate to them.
§ Toot your own horn a little. Show off statistics that you are proud of in
an INFOGRAPHIC format.
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the power of
38 STATE
Championships
**** SINCE 2000 ****

14. the power of
[ SIMPLICITY ]
The mobile first concept.
§ Explore LIMITATIONS and POSSIBILITIES of both, mobile and desktop
design
§ Think through how to ORGANIZE content and actions on mobile when
designing your site
§ Create a solid information architecture that uses clear labeling and is
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INTUITIVE to your audiences
§ Maintain clarity and FOCUS
§ While mobile users today expect to find the same content as on your
desktop website, decide if it makes sense to alter some content areas to
present information in an easier to access format.

15. the power of
[ SIMPLICITY ]
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The mobile first concept.
http://xkcd.com/773/

16. [ UX DESIGN ]
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Improving the usability
[ease of use]
Human-comipnutteerr action

17. [ UX DESIGN ]
Have you performed user testing on your website?
14%
86%
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YES
NO

18. [ UX DESIGN ]
Quick tips for creating a better user experience.
§ Think like your users.
§ Analyzing your audiences and their tasks will help you
prioritize content and decide on how to present it. User
personas to help you better identify with your users.
§ Use Google Analytics to discover specific details about how your users interact with
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your website.
§ Google Analytics allows you to see things like mobile/non-mobile
visitors, top pages visitors enter your site through
(i.e. landing pages), how long they stay on your site and how
many pages they visit that will help you gauge their user
experience. What's even better is that you can track how
often visitors are reaching an important page - like your
donation form - which helps you judge how successful you
are at driving conversion paths (this is done through Google
Analytics' goals)

19. [ UX DESIGN ]
Quick tips for creating a better user experience.
§ It is OK to make them click more than twice, as long as the user path is
logical and easy to follow.
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20. [ UX DESIGN ]
Quick tips for creating a better user experience.
§ Let them play and explore but always give them an
easy access back to the home page
§ Less is more when it comes to presenting action items.
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Experience our beautiful
campus and meet our
students. Schedule a tour
of the school by clicking
here.
VS TAKE A TOUR

21. [ UX DESIGN ]
Quick tips for creating a better user experience.
§ Give users choices in how they consume content
§ For example, use short videos in addition to text descriptions
§ Try using Vine, a short-form video sharing service, to
communicate with prospective students. For example, it
can be a great way of establishing an emotional connection
by giving them a glimpse into your campus life.
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22. website
SLAM

23. Thank you for attending
create a
solid strategy
FOR YOUR WEBSITE
AGA SIUDA design principal | KATHERINE TILL Senior visual designer
BROOKE HANSEL business development manager