After the stakeholder meetings, we decided the project aim at re-construct the Information architecture of EER website to ensure well organized content and user-friendly experience.
I proposed a new information architecture, gathered missing contents, created design mockups, prepared reusable design components, and deployed the website with customized code.
After the first place, the project owner knew we wanted to improve the current website but don’t know where to start. She told me "It just doesn’t seem right." After stakeholder meetings, I realized the executive team were facing 2 problems.
They received lots of email about where to find information on the website from professors and students.
They felt there were content missing on the current website but do not know what and where to add it.
With the meeting conclusion and the apparent UX issues in mind, we decided the project goal as to re-construct the Information architecture of EER website to ensure well organized content and user-friendly experience.
I clicked through each tab and page then took notes on whether the categorization and naming of each page was reasonable. Then I renamed their names and adjust the categorization.
In total, I studied 16 other Michigan Engineering websites & 4 other EER websites. By recorded their tab and page names, and marked the content that was missing on the EER website, I proposed 6 new pages.
Based on the evaluations, I proposed the new sitemap below.
I tailored interview protocol for each user group. The questions asked their previous experience using the website, and invite them to walk through the new website and think out loud during the process. Then I synthesized the result into various scenarios to help me conceptualize users' information seeking process.
Based on the understanding of each use cases, I proposed the new sitemap below.
Below are highlights of some iteration made after usability tests.
Below are final version based on usability test findings and the iterations.
