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