Nov 14, 2017
VIVIDSITES is proud to have received an Internet Advertising Award for Best University Website on behalf of our client, Logan University. Logan University competed with other universities for Best University Website but was ultimately awarded the honor based on creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, use of medium, and memorability, as well as advertising quality and web development (iacaward.org).
Logan University’s goal was to create a new website to target prospective students, existing students, and alumni, and to above all, increase conversions. The Logan University site was built from scratch using strategic design and development, with a custom-built content management system (CMS).
In order to increase conversions, we knew the first step that needed to be taken was to map out the desired user experience, UX, of the site. UX is the emotion felt by the user navigating and interacting with a website. Whether it is positive or negative, these emotions can significantly impact whether or not a user will convert. Our next step would be to address the psychological triggers that enhance the user experience and persuade users to take the next step in the conversion process. Simultaneously addressing psychological triggers and the overall user experience would, in turn, help us optimize the website for conversions, and create a website that could achieve Logan’s overall goals.
Social proof is a psychological trigger that can add to persuasion. Social media integration is a common form of social proof that is influential in the buying process. Likewise, pictures are able to aid in trust among users, and gaining the trust of potential buyers is a huge win in the process of conversion. To incorporate visual social proof, we integrated an Instagram feed on the site to add a glimpse of what life is like for students at Logan.
We then added to this social proof by featuring success stories of students to the head rotating banner. These testimonial-like posts add credibility to Logan and provide in-depth, real-world examples for prospective students. Spotlighting student stories would allow prospective students to take a step closer to what life is like at Logan without even stepping foot on campus.
After incorporating social proof, we wanted to address the success rates Logan University has been able to achieve through an interactive ‘By the Numbers’ section. Incorporating this interactive section would allow users to visualize the impact of getting a degree at Logan, and symbolize the message Logan wants to convey to students. This section would then lead users to a separate ‘Measures of Success’ page that could further break down the success rates at Logan University.
After focusing on these psychological triggers, we then looked at the user interface from a UX standpoint to help ease the customer journey and increase conversions. We designed the site with clear calls to action which started on the homepage and followed through on every subsequent page. We then added these calls to action on the home page and made sure to cater to each step in the customer journey for prospective students – ‘Request Info, ‘Visit Logan,’ and ‘Apply Now.’ These CTA buttons were placed above the fold so that users could easily complete an action without having to scroll further or make unnecessary clicks. Additionally, we added a ‘Request Info’ button on almost all of the pages to give potential students an easy way to contact Logan to start the admissions process.
The site navigation features large easy to touch, drop-down menus with hierarchical formatted links to help the user easily identify which links were more important by the size of the font. We also added images in the menu for clear, identifiable calls to action.
Return users could benefit from the ‘Recently Visited Pages’ feature in the upper right-hand corner that allows them to view the pages they last visited. This feature helps users easily start back up where they left off in their customer journey. For existing students, this feature enhances the user experience because the pages they visit frequently are essentially already bookmarked for them.
Without understanding what information, site structure, or triggers an audience needs to help them convert, you will end up with a site that generates little to no conversions. Moreover, producing a design and site experience that aids in positive user emotions, while decreasing the steps needed to achieve the main goal, is what will lead to increased conversions and an award-winning site.
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