Information architecture - Redhouse Lane Communications

University of London: Information architecture

Visuals still of work still in progress. The finished website will be structured to guide prospective users towards the course solution that suits them.

Visuals still of work still in progress. The finished website will be structured to guide prospective users towards the course solution that suits them.

The user interface represents just the last link in a complex and analytical design process that flows directly from the client's objectives and the users' needs.

We created personas for all the users likely to visit the site â€“ and mapped their journey to the information they wanted.

How the University of London is attracting international students

Challenge

As one of the world's leading academic institutions, the University of London offers distance and flexible-learning programmes to a growing worldwide market. It wanted to improve its online international marketing.

It commissioned Redhouse Lane to create a new user-focused website to showcase a new international brand. The overall goal: to increase the number of online applications.

Our response

Stage One was to talk to the users. What were their specific needs and what were their reactions to the existing site? Universally, we found visitors found it hard to find the right information and were uninspired by the presentation.

Stage Two was a ground-up redesign of the website's structure. Using the research data, our Information Architects have been able to develop a new site architecture, structured around the needs of each user. Information and users are clustered together into 'content hubs' from choosing a course to finding someone to talk to.

Stage Three is currently underway and includes brand creation, site design and content population.

Results

Not only has the research provided the metrics for the University to validate the site's design, the process has itself provided a forum for them to harness the knowledge of all their internal stakeholders.