<p>I think one of the reasons for UChicago’s recent application increases has to do with their website redesign. The website used to be disorganized, confusing, and a hodgepodge of loosely related information. The new site is one of the best around. I wonder if colleges realize how important it is to have a well designed site that captures the personality of the school and provides a sense of competence in execution?</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Like I said in the OP, the website (home page in particular) is the “face” of the university prior to a campus visit.</p>
<p>I was JUST thinking the same thing-- if there’s one place it’s foolish to save money it’s on web design. Many people will never go past the website to a campus visit, if the website doesn’t draw them in.</p>
<p>When D and I were doing college visits in person and then online via websites we found many matched their web “personality” so when we were further trying to pare down her list of schools I told her any that had websites that drove her mad she could eliminate without worry. She got frustrated by ones that didn’t have quick access to a virtual tour of some sort and if she had to click too many pages and not get to where she wanted she wasn’t impressed. We have found most are a good representation of the current “feel” of the school. She wasn’t in danger of marking off a school that wasn’t a good match for her but the website test was helpful in eliminating many.</p>
<p>I compare websites to UW-Madison’s (which I find easy to navigate) and usually get frustrated. There are so many schools that fill their homepage with junk and don’t use it as a table of contents. Try finding an academic calendar to see when someone has spring break. Try to find information other than news items. So many ways to go wrong… BTW- there should be a link to the school’s online catalog from the home page, right? Sweet Briar- no way would I let a D of mine think about THAT school based on the pink home page- not all girls are into that color, it seems juvenile.</p>
<p>Wesleyan’s annoyed me a bit. The way they organized the list of majors annoyed me. Also the huge “WESLEYAN” at the bottom of each page.</p>
<p>I know it’s a huge job to design and implement a college website but if the powers that be do not realize, in this day and age, how important a well designed, user-friendly site is and how important a top notch team is to get it done, they’re gonna be left eating the dust. One pet peeve is those colleges where individual departments all do their own pages. Ugh. Landing on one of those is like falling down a hole. Most of the time, you can’t ever get back to the main site.</p>
<p>“One pet peeve is those colleges where individual departments all do their own pages. Ugh.”</p>
<p>WORST THING EVER. On Umich’s website, this also leads to thousands of broken links and no clue how to find the real page. The HOUSING WEBSITE was at one point nothing but one big broken link. Especially useful. It’s been five months and I still don’t know how to use the unbroken portions of the housing website. And the poli sci depts web page? Forget it.</p>
<p>I was really disappointed by some college’s websites. But there are some really great ones. Vassar’s website is gorgeous and easy to use. It honestly made me want to apply.</p>