University of Washington
Unlocking Website Potential: EMM’s Roadmap to Revamping Your Website
The University of Washington Housing & Food Services (HFS) recognized the need to update their website and enlisted EMM to develop a strategic roadmap.
When was the last time you did a major update of your website? For the University of Washington Housing & Food Services department, it was back in 2017. Recognizing the need for a strategic roadmap to guide the site into the future and enhance the user experience of their constituents, HFS leadership sought our expertise. EMM was selected to provide a marketing perspective that would ensure the website evolves to meet user needs.
Our approach always begins ‘with the end in mind.’ To kick off the project, we collaborated with the HFS team to articulate their website’s goals and aspirations. Together, we crafted a clear and compelling vision statement that guided our research and recommendations. This ensured that every step of our roadmap aligned precisely with their strategic objectives.
Developing a Strategic Plan
With a well-defined vision in place, we tailored our project plan to meet their specific requirements. This comprehensive plan detailed how we would gather feedback and insights from key stakeholders and targeted audiences. It also included a strategic approach for collecting and analyzing data from the current website. These efforts would culminate in findings and recommendations for content, design, messaging and technology, all crucial elements of the final roadmap.
Interviews, Surveys, and Focus Groups
To ensure the website resonated deeply with its primary audiences, understanding their needs and preferences was paramount. With students being a key audience and the school year nearing its end, we swiftly implemented an online survey. This initiative gathered over 1,200 responses, offering invaluable insights. Building on this foundation, we recruited survey participants for targeted focus group discussions, elevating our understanding and providing a deeper level of insight.
Concurrently, we interviewed targeted department staff to gain a thorough understanding of their operations and assess strengths and weaknesses of the current CMS and workflows. Hearing directly from different types of users allowed us to grasp their unique perspectives and requirements, ensuring the new website would meet the needs of all stakeholders.
Analyzing the Data
With user feedback in hand, it was time to review the hard data. We conducted a thorough analysis of key SEO metrics, website performance and user behavior. This was followed by a comprehensive assessment of nearly every page on the website, ensuring we left no stone unturned in our evaluation.
Actionable Recommendations
Based on our research and analysis, we provided the University of Washington with an actionable roadmap to guide their website redesign. Our goal was to ensure that the new HFS website would not only meet the current needs of its users but also be adaptable for future growth and changes. The final roadmap encompassed a comprehensive current state assessment, a SWOT analysis, and key findings and recommendations for a new CMS, messaging, and strategy moving forward.
At EMM, we believe that going the extra mile is not just about delivering results—it's about creating lasting value for our clients. We're proud of the work we've done with the University of Washington and look forward to continuing to support them in their journey.
“I really appreciate your command of our diverse operation. Your findings carry weight because of your ability to speak in our ‘language’ and call out specific examples from conversation or on one of our 250 webpages. Your work is bespoke.” - HFS Website Redesign Project Manager