Weber State University

In 2018 Weber State University hired the consulting firm Ruffalo Noel Levitz to completely overhaul their enrollment and admissions outreach programs. The admissions website in particular was identified as a key element for improving student recruitment. Working from a mountain of user data and market studies provided by RNL we discovered that the website needed to provide two key experiences: specifically address common user subgroups at the root level and connect them to an array of information and human resources.

To meet those needs I implemented a number of technical and design solutions. A grid of on-page navigation buttons links user subgroups directly to pages designed specifically for them. A dynamic Admissions Counselors page with interactive map navigation connects prospective students directly to counselors based on the region in which they live. I built a “Virtual Campus Tour” tool that features a list of informational videos overlaid on a campus map. SVG technology was used to render extensive typographic design solutions with minimal impact on page performance.

Marketing goals, measured through Google Analytics, were prioritized throughout the design and build process. Weber State’s user demographic splits about 50/50 between desktop and mobile users but prospective students lean more towards mobile. Fully responsive design and optimized performance are key to achieving analytics goals.

This site won a CASE Gold Award for Digital Communications - Websites.

The codebase is on GitHub.