The document summarizes the redesign of the University of Ottawa's website, uOttawa.ca. It discusses establishing governance and stakeholder buy-in, conducting user research to understand needs, collaborating to identify key tasks, and setting clear goals for success. The redesign focused on improving the user experience, accessibility, and adoption. It resulted in reduced error rates and bounce rates, and increased visitor numbers and satisfaction for key groups like students and staff. The takeaways emphasized laying groundwork, listening to users, setting achievable goals, and prioritizing quality over control.

1. uOttawa.ca
Putting students (+ users) first
• The redesign of uOttawa.ca
Presented by: Nichole McGill, uOttawa Web Communicatons Director, Oct. 21, 2014

2. Tweet out
@nicholemcgill
#highedweb
#pseweb
#UAD9

3. 1997

4. 2003

5. 2009

6. 2013

7. About uOttawa
Largest bilingual* university in the world
– 40,000+ students
– 5,000 staff
– 10 faculties
uOttawa.ca
- 100 major subsites (-400)
- Increasing mobile + int’l traffic
uOttawa.ca
*Français-English

8. The uOttawa.ca redesign
– New navigation
– New visual design
– New Web CMS
– Mobile responsive
– Accessible (WCAG 2.0 AA)
– Sign off from critical stakeholders
– Platform for new brand
+ launch for a campus-wide migration
project
uOttawa.ca

9. The Project
• April 2012 –
uOttawa.ca
Nov. 2013
• Two firms:
• 5 months: UX
• 12 months:
consultation
and reporting
back

10. Key takeaways
uOttawa.ca
1. Lay the groundwork
2. You are not are the expert
(Your community and your users are)
3. Have clear achievable goals
4. Quality, not control

11. Takeaway #1
LAY THE GROUNDWORK

12. Governance?
Source: http://bit.ly/1yliFKc

13. Governance
Source: http://bit.ly/1yliFKc

14. Consult, collaborate, repeat
uOttawa.ca

15. Build relationships
uOttawa.ca

16. Areas of Governance
uOttawa.ca
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Central Web
team
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Web Governance
A
C
C
R
C
C
C
C
I
Web Strategy
I
C
C
R
C
C
C
A
C*
*
Process
I
C
C
A / R
C
I
C
C
Performance Management
I
C
C
A / R
C
R
C
I
Content Strategy
R
I
A / R
C
R
C
I
Structure (IA) and Design
R
I
A / R
R
C
R
C
Content Creation
C
R
C
A* /
R
C
Content Life-Cycle
Management
C
A / R
C
C
Web Application Development
C
R
R
R
I
A /
R
C
Infrastructure
C
C
I
A /
R
C
Groundwork: Decide who does what

17. Number of Web platforms?
8*
uOttawa.ca
*(or so)

18. Web CMS Working Group est. 2010
8* to 1
uOttawa.ca

19. Why a single Web platform is a
lynchpin
Navigation
Design
AccessibilityCMS
Content
sharing
Archiving
system

20. After 9 months, adopted Drupal
• Open source
• uOttawa
• Universities
• Government
= Had community

21. Bilingual side-by-side editor
uOttawa.ca

22. Takeaway #2
YOU ARE NOT THE EXPERT
(YOUR USERS ARE)

24. Listen to your stakeholders
uOttawa.ca

25. Step #2: Analyzing
uOttawa.ca
Interviews
UX
studies
Web
analytics
Top tasks on uOttawa.ca

26. Step #2: Analyzing
uOttawa.ca
Interviews
UX
studies
Web
analytics
400 top tasks

27. Step #3: Collaborating
uOttawa.ca
Interviews
UX
studies
Web
analytics
400 75 top tasks!

28. Step #4: Validate >> polling
uOttawa.ca

29. The result: clear top tasks
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
Vote
uOttawa.ca
Tasks

30. Below is a list of tasks that people can
do on uOttawa.ca
Tasks
uOttawa.ca
1457
Voters
2914
Voters
4371
Voters
5829
Voters
1 Fees / tuition / costs 5.6% 5.7% 5.8% 5.9%
2 Course timetable 5.7% 5.9% 5.8% 5.7%
3 Find a program/course 4.3% 4.4% 4.4% 4.5%
4 Grants, loan, scholarships 4.5% 4.6% 4.3% 4.4%
5 Registration (dates, process) 4.3% 4.1% 4.2% 4.1%
6
Search library catalogue (articles, journals, books,
DVDs) 5.2% 4.6% 4.4% 4.1%
7 Important academic dates and deadlines 4.4% 3.9% 3.7% 3.6%
8 Adding, dropping and changing courses 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 3.4%
9 Admission requirements/criteria 2.7% 3.0% 3.1% 3.3%
10 Exam timetable and information 3.1% 3.3% 3.2% 3.1%
11 Faculties and Departments 2.7% 2.8% 2.9% 2.9%
12 Jobs at uOttawa 2.7% 2.6% 2.6% 2.5%
13 Jobs for students 2.7% 2.6% 2.5% 2.5%
14 Contact the University 1.9% 2.1% 2.0% 2.1%
15 How to pay fees (where, when, how) 1.7% 1.9% 2.0% 2.0%
16
Library services (borrowing, research help,
printing/copying) 2.2% 1.9% 1.9% 2.0%
17 How to apply 1.4% 1.6% 1.8% 2.0%
18 Apply to graduate studies 1.6% 1.8% 1.9% 1.9%
19 Admission deadlines 1.5% 1.8% 1.8% 1.9%
20 Library – hours, locations, services 1.8% 1.7% 1.7% 1.7%
Top 25%
26-50%
51-75%
1457
Voters
2914
Voters
4371
Voters
5829
Voters
tuition / costs 5.6% 5.7% 5.8% 5.9%
timetable 5.7% 5.9% 5.8% 5.7%
program/course 4.3% 4.4% 4.4% 4.5%
loan, scholarships 4.5% 4.6% 4.3% 4.4%
Registration (dates, process) 4.3% 4.1% 4.2% 4.1%
library catalogue (articles, journals, books,
5.2% 4.6% 4.4% 4.1%
academic dates and deadlines 4.4% 3.9% 3.7% 3.6%
dropping and changing courses 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 3.4%
requirements/criteria 2.7% 3.0% 3.1% 3.3%
timetable and information 3.1% 3.3% 3.2% 3.1%
and Departments 2.7% 2.8% 2.9% 2.9%
uOttawa 2.7% 2.6% 2.6% 2.5%
students 2.7% 2.6% 2.5% 2.5%
the University 1.9% 2.1% 2.0% 2.1%
pay fees (where, when, how) 1.7% 1.9% 2.0% 2.0%
services (borrowing, research help,
copying) 2.2% 1.9% 1.9% 2.0%
apply 1.4% 1.6% 1.8% 2.0%
graduate studies 1.6% 1.8% 1.9% 1.9%
deadlines 1.5% 1.8% 1.8% 1.9%
hours, locations, services 1.8% 1.7% 1.7% 1.7%

31. Customer satisfaction
Q: “Choose the THREE factors from the list below
that best describe your actual experience with the
University of Ottawa website” (total: 26)
• Up-to-date (+/-)
• Accurate (+/-)
• Complete (+/-)
• Language (+/-)
• Contact (+/-)
• Participation (+/-)
• Open (+/-)
• Recommendations (+/-)
• Search (+/-)
• Menus & Links (+/-)
• Layout (+/-)
• Visual appeal (+/-)
• Speed (+/-)

32. What do we need to improve?
uOttawa.ca
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Menus et liens
Recherche
Mise en page
Contacts
Complet
Rapidité
Participation
Attrait visuel
Recommandations
Mise à jour
Ouvert
Langage
Exactitude

33. This informs your Web roadmap
uOttawa.ca
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Menus et liens
Recherche
Mise en page
Contacts
Complet
Rapidité
Participation
Attrait visuel
Recommandations
Mise à jour
Ouvert
Langage
Exactitude

34. uOttawa.ca

36. Those other 70 tasks…
uOttawa.ca

37. Know the name of the service?
uOttawa.ca

38. Takeaway #3
HAVE CLEAR (AND
ACHIEVABLE) GOALS

39. Criteria for success
External
• Accessibility
• Improved user
experience
Internal
• Easy-to-use Web
platform
• Adoption
• Improved user
experience

40. Reduction in a11y errors
uOttawa.ca
10,000’s to 0

41. Reduced overall bounce rate to < 40%

42. “Students” most visited page
(2-4 % bounce; 14X increase in visitors)

43. What do students access?
• Google apps login
• Blackboard learn
• Important dates and deadlines
• Services for students
• Library
• Campus events
• Faculties
uOttawa.ca

44. Tweets
uOttawa.ca

45. Why a success?
5,000+
students
consulted

46. Professors and admin staff
(3-5% bounce rate; visits decreased)
uOttawa.ca

47. Staff needs
• Benchmarked satisfaction levels (2012)
• Surveyed staff 6 months post-launch:
– Made requests; we incorporated them
– Need for an Intranet
uOttawa.ca

48. Launched staff portal - fall 2014
uOttawa.ca

49. More UX (2015), GA and improvements
uOttawa.ca

50. Takeaway #4
QUALITY, NOT CONTROL

51. If you build it…
…they will come

52. If you build it…
and helps groups
achieve their goals
…they will come

53. Before migration & post-migration

54. Faculty of Arts: Before and after

55. 2014

56. Key takeaways
uOttawa.ca
1. Lay the groundwork
2. You are not are the expert
(Your community and your users are)
3. Have clear achievable goals
4. Quality, not control

57. Merci
Slides available at http://ht.ly/zHHSD
uOttawa.ca