More on umanitoba.ca
In my last post about the new U of M website, I gave the new look of the site a rough review. While I still stand behind what I wrote, I now realize that I didn’t focus much at all on what was done well with the new design.
The Good
The new look is definitely very slick and attractive, especially when compared to the websites of most other Canadian universities. It should be a good “landing point” for those following up on national newspaper ads. The News & Features and Profile sections do exactly what the University is going for with their new campaign — highlighting the strengths of our university, its programs and its people.
The Bad
The main problem I still have is that the University’s main page comes off as focused mainly on marketing instead of information providing. Feel free to use your web presence to show people how great your organization is and why they should join you (that’s part of the reason for the investment), but make it easy for the people who use the web as an information gathering tool to find what they’re looking for. They’ll love you for it.
The Uncertain
Perhaps the problem here is that I’m coming at this from an engineering and “information access” perspective, instead of a marketing one. I believe an equilibrium can be achieved between the two, but it can’t just be thrown together.
So, if anyone from the University is reading this (and I’m sure someone is — I’ve been getting a sizable number of 130.179.*.* hits), please feel free to get in touch with me. I can offer some thoughts, ideas, and constructive criticism — more than just one-sided criticism — if you’re interested in talking. This is my university too, and I’d love to see success on all fronts, including its web presence.