Summary

In my Information Architecture class, I collaborated with a team of two others to revamp the events page and calendar for MSOE. Our primary focus was on optimizing the information architecture and functionality to enhance usability. Collaborating closely with Josh Hertzog from the MSOE Marketing department, we aimed to address identified issues and align the page with their vision.

Objectives

1.   Streamline the information architecture of the events page.

2.   Enhance the functionality of the events page and calendar to provide greater usability.

3.   Address identified SEO and page optimization issues such as large file sizes and low-content pages.

My Tasks

• Conducted a card sort with current and prospective students to understand user preferences and navigation patterns.

• Refined the filters utilized on the events page to better fit our user’s preferences and reduced the amount of redundant and rarely used filters to make the site easier to maintain.

• Used Screaming Frog SEO Software for a site crawl to identify technical issues and areas for improvement. From this site crawl, we Identified issues such as redundant filters, large image file sizes, and missing alt text.

• Created high-fidelity wireframes that adopted an accordion-style layout for the events page, enabling users to expand event listings for additional information and reducing redundancy.

Results

• Improved interactivity of the calendar by incorporating event indicators and introducing a dedicated calendar view page. We also added Google Maps links to event locations for enhanced usability.

• Our continuous engagement with Josh provided valuable insights into client interaction and how it can be useful in an iterative design cycle.

• Reduced the amount of low-content pages and loading times by utilizing an accordion-style layout in the events page

Final Thoughts

This project provided valuable experience in client collaboration, problem-solving, user-centric design, and iterative design processes. Working closely with the MSOE marketing department helped improve my client interaction skills, ensuring alignment with their objectives. I also gained experience addressing technical issues identified during a site crawl which enhanced my problem-solving abilities.