The vendor is required to provide to complete an aesthetic brand refresh of its public facing website; work includes research, design, coding and implementation.
- Website serves as the institution’s most important recruitment tool and communication platform, providing a gateway for prospective students, current students, employees, and stakeholders to engage with the university.
- Back-end web development (code, API’S, database design, servers, custom application development)
- Front-end web development (CSS, html, JavaScript, design, accessibility)
- Agency is responsible for:
• Branding
• Content (words, images, graphics, and accessibility)
• Content approval workflows
• Content editor training
• Information architecture such as global navigation, visual representation, site features, and hierarchy
• Google services (ga4, big query, google tag manager, google maps, etc.)
• Web policy and governance
- Staff is responsible for:
• Campus branding
• Graphic design services
• Identity guidelines
• Licensing
• Logo system
• Messaging
• Photography
• Videography
• Image ratios (all photos remain as is)
• 3rd party applications not integrated into the CMS
• Blogs and e-newsletters
• Organization/centers templates
• Custom elements in undalumni.org
• Information architecture
• Content revisions (research-based content adjustments to the home page and other key landing pages is possible)
- Research and discovery
• Incorporating casual and vibrant brand elements such as:
1. Micro slashes and arrow strokes
2. Layered graphic elements
3. Accessible text overlays on visuals that comply with WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio requirements for text over background. (4.5:1 for normal, 3:1 for large text)
4. Additional modern design features that add brand personality
• Updating key site-wide visual elements such as:
1. Typography using either adobe or google fonts to complement brand fonts
2. Global header and footer navigation, including the request more information, apply, and visit sticky navigation
3. Salesforce RMI forms
4. Modernizing headings and intro text styling
5. Updating snippets styles
6. Revising (or eliminating) the universal template billboard text overlay and fly-in effects; ensure animations do not cause content shifting or flashing; avoid auto play unless pause/stop/hide is available.
7. RGB hex code revisions to meet WCAG 2.1 level AA standards
8. Home page design (using tint social media aggregator)
9. Digital marketing landing page template
10. College/school homepages
11. Tuition calculator and tuition embeds on program cost pages
12. Program finder and program page templates
13. Button styles
• Conduct stakeholder interviews with agency and content editors to gather design feedback.
• Review competitor and non-higher-ED websites to benchmark design trends and best practices.
• Review ga4 data to identify areas for improvement.
- Concept development and wire framing
• The vendor will create wireframes and design concepts for revisions to existing website elements.
• Develop wireframes showcasing proposed updates to typography, navigation, buttons, snippets, and other key elements.
• Present wireframes for review by university and technology teams.
• Gather feedback from website content editors and executive cabinet and iterate on designs as needed.
• Ensure all proposed design updates adhere to brand guidelines, accessibility requirements, and web performance best practices.
- Development
• Ensure responsive-first design, testing across multiple devices and browsers.
• Provide thorough code documentation.
• Develop code that complies with university protocols and is structured for future scalability.
• Implement accessibility best practices, perform automated and manual testing, and provide verification that WCAG 2.1 level AA is met.
• Build-in guardrails to prevent accessibility violations, such as requiring alt text for images.
• Optimize design elements for fast page load times.
- Brand expansion beyond the CMS
Refresh templates for non-CMS platforms, which may include but is not limited to:
• Blogs (WordPress)
• E-newsletters (mail poet)
• Course catalog (course leaf)
• Events calendar (localist)
• Site search (funnel back/squiz) email templates (salesforce/pardot) - develop 5 or 6 different CSS/html email templates for pardot to incorporate the updated branding elements and ensure accessibility standards are being met.
- New CMS functionality
• Design and develop additional page templates to enhance content flexibility and usability.
• Introduce new snippet options to expand content presentation and visual elements.
- CMS information architecture refinement
• Assess site structure and navigation based on user behavior and analytics.
• Propose updates to navigation and landing pages to improve user flow and discoverability of key content.
• Implement a/b testing strategies to optimize the user experience.
- Revise existing CMS templates
• Incorporate new branding elements into CMS templates not adjusted in phase i:
• Organization/centers templates
• Leader in action module
• Resource finder
- New WordPress features
• Implement additional features, plugins and design elements for university WordPress blogs.
• Introduce new button styles and components to align with brand guidelines.
- Research
• Further brand research may be conducted as needed to ensure consistency across university digital properties.
• A/b testing of key prospective student pages such as the program finder.
• Examine how students move through the request more information → apply → confirm enrollment funnel.
• Assess mobile vs. desktop user experience.
• Optimize navigation, CTA placement, and form usability.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year