Saint Mary of the Woods College (SMWC) contacted MJK to help them create a new, mobile friendly website for the college. The previous website was not mobile friendly, and had become unmanageable at over 1,500 pages. SMWC wanted to create a new website with fresh copy and photography that is world-class, scalable, secure, and easy to maintain via WordPress.User Experience DesignMJK began by conducting research which included a complete content audit of the 1,500+ page website. The audit was performed using a collaborative software which enabled our user experience experts to present an optimal sitemap for the new website. SMWC was then able to review, organize, and comment on content pages within the interactive sitemap, and eliminate any old content pages.Website PrototypeOur user experience designers then produced a working grayscale prototype of the new website that was fully interactive and viewable on desktop and mobile phone devices. This approach enabled the client to navigate the website and get adequate administrative buy-in on the proposed architecture before design and development began.Website Look & FeelA key point of difference for the college is its connection with nature and wildlife. It’s not unusual to see students horseback riding on campus. This led our award-winning designers to place leaf-like design elements within the site to help convey the college’s unique wooded campus environment. Large, beauty shots of the students, the building architecture, and the campus grounds give visitors a glimpse of what life is like at the college. Several info graphics also help to convey key facts to help students determine if the school is right for them.DevelopmentMJK leveraged WordPress CMS to manage the content for the enormous website.ResultsThe client continues to receive tremendous feedback on the design and usability of the website. To visit the website, please go to smwc.edu
