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Lessons learned from the Alumni Association and Bear Bulletin redesigns

What we did, why we did it and the hiccups along the way.

March 2, 2018 by Web Strategy and Development

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We recently, by that I mean a year ago, decided it was time to redesign the Alumni Association’s digital communications. Before embarking on this glorious journey we first needed to figure out what we wanted to do and why we’re doing it.

Make a game plan

We developed a set of goals to help us keep our audience in mind.

  1. User access to information on mobile devices
  2. Clear calls to act for alumni to engage with the university
  3. Streamline university news with alumni-centered stories from the printed magazine
  4. Implement our sub-brand across all communication platforms

Then laid out the three phases we planned to execute.

Phase 1 – Missouri State Magazine online

During this phase we found alumni want to get their printed magazine in an easy to read online format. So, we tore down the old magazine site and built a new blog. Through the use of syndication, we are able to pull real-time stories from the university communications department. We can now feature stories from the news, highlight faculty work, showcase student awards and give a home to all the alumni stories. The Bear Bulletin blog is mobile friendly and ties directly to our website.

From old to new – blog

Old magazine format on desktop.
New blog format for featured magazine stories on desktop.
Old magazine format on mobile.
New blog format for featured magazine stories on mobile.

Phase 2 – New mobile friendly website

Next step, updating our website to streamline information about events, programs and ways alumni can volunteer. Warning, don’t go into a website redesign before a major event. I planned to finish the redesign before Homecoming, but didn’t take into account all the updates to the Homecoming website.

Again, we went back to our goals and consulted the Alumni Association Board and Council. Since mobile stacks information into one column, we created a hierarchy for the content and used clear calls to act buttons on our Missouri State University Alumni Association website.

A mobile-friendly site

old alumni site
Old outdated alumni desktop site.
new alumni site
Newly updated and organized desktop site.
old not mobile friendly alumni site
Old and not mobile friendly website.
new mobile friendly alumni site
New and very mobile friendly website.

Phase 3 – New e-newsletter

Again, the data showed us nearly 50% of the audience accesses our email from a mobile device.  We stuck with one column, used more full-width photos, added calls to act buttons and reduced the text.

An email you want to open

Old desktop version of the Bear Bulletin e-news letter.
New desktop version of the Bear Bulletin e-news letter.
Old mobile version of the Bear Bulletin e-news letter.
New mobile friendly version of the Bear Bulletin e-news letter.

What we learned

  • Timeline for completion
    • Keep in mind vacations
    • Summer was great for us
  • Website
    • Plan ahead for any major content editing on your site
      • Ex: Homecoming is our biggest event and we were in redesign – not so good
    • Build sitemap
      • Before you start rearranging look at site navigation first
      • Then layout your pages
    • Review links on your site and pointing at you
  • Check mobile

You can download the full presentation for reference.

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  • Lessons learned from the Alumni Association and Bear Bulletin redesigns - March 2, 2018

Filed Under: brand, Mobile, Redesign Tagged With: Blogs, digital communication, mobile friendly, Redesign, web and new media, websites

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