Is your website designed for your users?

4 August 2015

Comment by Modou Jallow, Research Analyst at mtmconsulting. 

A good school website is and must be customer/ user orientated. Designed for, and to a great extent with, the influence of the user. As it is the case in almost all organizations, the target audiences are not homogenous (as in the case of schools current parents, prospective parents, students) and this presents a challenge, but one that has to be surmounted. Recent mtmconsulting research on school websites has revealed a remarkable laissez faire attitude towards optimisation to enhance the customer experience.

There is no doubt we all know our websites matter. Not only are they our voice, they are our visual representation in the vast online world. The challenge remains as to how we make them matter, usable and a tool for communication with others. The answer lies in the design. The most important aspects of this where independent schools are concerned includes:

User centred design

This may sound like a cliché but a good website should always begin with the user. With a user-friendly website, your visitors can easily find the information they require and this enables them to fulfil their objectives. This goes a long way in facilitating a satisfactory experience. In fact, some parents make the judgement that if the school’s website is not fit for purpose, then what else in then isn’t…

For schools thinking of building a new website, undertaking a focus group of your target audience could be a good start to gain some insights as to how best to design your website to meet their requirements.   

It is good practice to use your site once in a while to as a prospective parent. This will help you not only gauge their perspectives, but help you see where improvements are needed.

Navigability

It is no use building a state of the art website when access to its content feels like a journey to Pluto. The website structure must have users in mind – enhance accessibility for each segment of your audience to the areas they need.

It is therefore important that a website has clear page tittles, headings and sub-headings. Crucially this should be complimented by a well-functioning on-site search. A well-structured and labelled site will not only enhance visitor experience but also enhance search engine visibility.

Content

Content is king. However, too much of anything is bad and too much largely irrelevant content can be detrimental to the user experience. Filling webpages with irrelevant details can be off-putting leading to possible higher bounce rates which suggest disengagement with your site. Make your content relevant, succinct and above all valuable to the visitor. Again take the role of a user. Ask yourself what sort of content is relevant to whom and at what period of the academic year.

Sharing and Communication

In the age of compulsive sharing, it is fatal to be thrifty with your content. Creating shareable content and making sharing your content as easy as possible is therefore prudent. There are various ways to achieve this, such as integrating and associating your social media platforms with your website. ‘Add this’ and ‘Share this’ are useful in effecting this.

Also optimise your webpages for printing (preferably using CSS) as this offers another alternative for those who prefer paper copies, and also optimise your website for other platforms mainly mobile phone and tablets.

With the user at the core of the design, a user-friendly site is easily achieved and problems relating to relevance, structure or ability to share with fellow users are largely avoided.

 

For more information on how to improve your school website design, or to discuss enhancing your social media presence, please contact james@emrsolutions.co.uk or call us on 01502 722787.

mtmconsulting is a brand of Education Market Research Solutions Ltd.

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