Worcester.edu Website Redesign

A university website interface features program options, major and minor cards, and academic news with an image of a scientist and a person in a suit pointing.

Worcester State University (aka: WooState) recently engaged us to lead a collaborative process that resulted in a new website, content strategy, and video series.

Overview

Challenge

Approach

Worcester State University needed a re-invigorated website that more dynamically reflected the vitality and diversity of the community it serves. Not only did they need a fresh new visually-driven look and feel, they also needed to transition from a proprietary CMS (Content Management System) to open source (WordPress).

Overview

Challenge

Approach

Our north star was to develop a 360 degree view of guiding priorities and objectives.

Research. Read. Ask a million questions. To fully understand what the new Worcester.edu needed to accomplish, we initiated our signature discovery process. Sample elements included: reviewing strategic planning documents, soaking in pre-existing brand studies or research, and getting to know each and every aspect of the Worcester State University brand.

Study Peer Landscape: Examining competitive landscape allows us to articulate what sets Worcester State University apart with boldness and concision. For this reason, we took a deep dive into the top schools that cross applications with WooState.

One-on-one Conversations & Group Focus Sessions: We hosted several dozen individual conversations with a wide range of participants, including leadership, marketing & communications, advancement, administration, faculty, alumni, students, and other invested members of the WooState community.

Digital Surveys: Allowed us to collect insights and perspectives from a wider range of the community who were not able to participate in our group or one-on-one discussion.

Tech Stack Audit: Understanding full tech stack allowed us to make informed strategic recommendations and steer WooState towards efficient, smart, and sustainable tech solutions.

Analytics, SEO & Site Health Reporting: Hard data drives out soft impressions and provides clear benchmarks on what areas of the site require attention.

Discovery Milestones & Reporting: We summarized each facet of our discovery process into a series of insights, observations, and strategic recommendations.

Since Worcester State University’s website launch, success has been measured in a multitude of ways. From July 1, 2022 to July, 2024, the new Worcester.edu experienced new growth, reach, and outcomes.

The culmination of our collaboration with ERI was a revitalized, mobile-first design system grounded on user-friendly interactive features, inspiring videos featuring our diverse student body, and a personalized system of navigation for all audience members.

Kelly Lin

Director of Marketing & Communications

Redesigning Valpo’s website for the first time in many years was a major undertaking, and ERI approached the project with genuine enthusiasm and a clear commitment to helping us move such a large initiative forward. They took the time to understand our mission, our audiences, and the complexity of our needs, and brought thoughtful guidance throughout the process. We appreciated their willingness to listen, collaborate, and adapt as the project evolved. It was evident that the team cared deeply about delivering a strong outcome for Valpo and supporting us through an important moment in our digital evolution.

Tania Delehanty

Assistant Director of Brand and Creative Services, Worcester State University