A six-year project to redesign most of Boston College’s websites has drawn to a close, as University Communications, in partnership with Information Technology Services, launched the 205th and final website on December 1.
The web team has now completed a redesign for all of BC’s websites including each of the University’s eight schools, as well as its administrative divisions, such as Facilities Services, Human Resources, Auxiliary Services, and Student Affairs.
“The website is the face of the University to the world and we take this responsibility very seriously,” said Scott Olivieri, University Communications director of web services. “Our primary goal is to represent Boston College as a world-class institution. We also want to authentically represent the people of Boston College, and the University’s values, mission, and future direction.”
To redesign a website, the web team of designers, developers, writers, and videographers worked with the vice presidents or deans of the appropriate division or school to learn their needs and goals for their site. The team then analyzed page views and Google search data to identify navigation issues, conducted focus groups with students and administrators to understand how the website serves them, and reviewed industry trends and best practices.
After this information was collected, the team and their partners within the division or school collaboratively revamped the website by building an information architecture, designed pages using templates and components, selected appropriate images and videos, and wrote and edited the language. This process took up to four months for the larger schools and divisions, involving about four hours of meetings each week.
“Just about every corner of BC has a web presence,” said Olivieri. “This has afforded us an amazing opportunity to meet terrific colleagues and learn the inner-workings of so many departments, centers, and schools.”
With the redesign process complete, the web team will now help to refresh these new websites by revising text, adding new images and videos, and optimizing the use of new components.
“We’ll always have new tools to build, new sites to create, and new problems to solve,” said Olivieri. “It’s what makes it such an exciting job.”
In 2019, Boston College’s web presence was recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, which selected it for a Circle of Excellence award.
Christine Balquist | University Communications | December 2020
