BRAND REDESIGN + WEBSITE REVAMP

UChicago MBSAA

The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Alumni Association

ROLE

UX Design
Web Design

Art Direction

ABOUT

The MBSAA is made up of degree holders from the Pritzker School of Medicine, the Division of the Biological Sciences, and current and former residents, fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty of the University of Chicago Medicine.

Challenges

The former website was built in an outdated CMS and wasn’t responsive
The site architecture didn’t allow users to navigate the site effectively
The bounce rate was high due to the lack of website functionality
Landing pages were text-heavy and lacked hierarchy
Logo was outdated and needed to be redesign to meet university guidelines

I defended my thesis (Microbiology department) last summer, and I had no idea the MBSAA even existed before receiving this email.

- PhD’19

Research

Digital communications are a vital component of overall alumni engagement. Our team looked at the email and web analytics reports and found some interesting data points.

Key Takeaways on Communications

A large portion of current alumni are engaging with the university digitally.

of alumni like to receive digital/email communications

0 %

of website traffic comes from smartphones and tablets

0 %

of mobile visitors spend less time on the website than desktop users

0 %

Alumni Survey Results

In addition to looking at the metrics, we asked alumni what they cared about the most.

of alumni like to receive digital/email communications

0 %

of alumni would like to receive communications via social posts

0 %

of alumni would like to receive communications via postal mail

0 %

Goal

A mobile responsive, easy to navigate website for all alumni, and a better segmented and tailored communications stream that will make it easier for all users to engage with the MBSAA.

Solutions

A new website with functional, informative, and compelling design, adding value to the experience of MBSAA alumni
A restructured website architecture implemented with a new CMS and improved SEO practices that resulted in a noticeable website traffic increase
Revised and streamlined content applied in collaboration with copywriters to maximize the user’s digital experience

Brand Refresh

In addition to the website, we endeavored to refresh the overall look and feel of the MBSAA. In collaboration with MBSAA staff, we developed a new word mark to enhance brand recognition among alumni, students, and faculty, resulting in more effective digital and print communications.