Website Redesign Project:

Updates and Communications

Date: 3/22/23
Method: Email
Subject: New Website Project Update
Audience: Campus Community

Dear Campus Community,

I wanted to provide an update on the website redesign project. There is a lot happening right now. The project team is reviewing all pages on the current site to determine content updates, page migrations, and considerations for an intranet. We have completed a review of the sitemap which outlines how information will be organized on the new website. The top focus of the new site is the prospective student journey towards enrollment at Mines.

We’re excited for the next step in this project, the design of the site.  We want an appealing look that showcases our brand and all we have to offer. Selecting the right colors, fonts, and elements are important. Following this, our vendor will start on page structure. We expect to have design mockups to share with the campus community in June.

For more information, see our website redesign project webpage.

Regards,
Ann Brentlinger, Director of Marketing & Communications

Date: 2/8/23
Method: Email
Subject: President Rankin's Message
Audience: Campus Community
Message excerpt: Finally, on an internal note, many of you know we are undertaking a total overhaul and redesign of the university website. Thank you to those in our campus community who have offered feedback on the process and to those working on this large endeavor. Learn more about the new website and follow the ongoing work on our website redesign page.

Date: 2/8/23
Method: Website Update
Subject: Discovery Phase
Audience: Campus Community and Public 

Discovery Methods

  • Pre-project questionnaire
  • Brand and previous discovery documentation
  • Recruitment pieces
  • Analytics review
  • Existing website
  • Social media
  • National and local studies
  • 4 Stakeholder groups (38 participants)
  • 2 Student focus groups (10 current students)
  • Student survey (87 responses)
  • Faculty/staff survey (132 responses)

Student & Faculty/Staff Pain Points

  • Simplify Pages, Navigation & Organization
  • Telling Our Story Better
  • Lack of Consistency & Structure
  • Maintenance - Needs to be easier to update

    Feedback Trends

    • Simplify and Organize: Navigation, text, pages, etc. to make the site more accessible and intuitive to find what users need.
    • Make it Engaging. Tell Our Story: More visually appealing, engage the audience and incorporate brand messaging.
    • Audience Needs:. Different needs and information based on audience that needs to be segmented out into easier to access areas.
    • Recommended Project: Intranet

    Next Phase: Content Inventory (deciding what stays and what goes)

    Date: 1/26/23
    Method: Email
    Subject: University website redesign: we need your opinion!
    Audience: Campus Community

    Dear Campus Community,

    I am happy to announce that the website redesign project is underway. South Dakota Mines has partnered with Modern Campus and iFactory for a new design on a content management system, which will allow us to elevate the university through a modern and future-focused web presence and digital strategy. The process will reflect on best practices in design, content strategy, usability, accessibility, technical implementation, and overall user experience.

    Thank you to those who served on focus groups the past couple of weeks. If you were not in one of these groups, we are asking you to complete an online survey. Your input is important in driving the direction of this project.

    Please take a few minutes to fill out the appropriate survey. These will be available until Friday, February 3.

    • Student Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/25H66V8 (Survey has been disabled)
    • Faculty/Staff Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VXSWJWP (Survey has been disabled)

    For more information and updates, please visit https://www.sdsmt.edu/website-redesign-project/.

    Thank you for your input!

    Jim Rankin, President

    Date: 1/27/23
    Method: Website Update
    Subject: The Website Redesign Project website was created to house the information and communications for the project. 
    Audience: Campus Community and Public

    The Work So Far

    • In 2022, the university engaged in a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process for the redesign, development and implementation of the website. Modern Campus and iFactory were chosen as the university’s partners. 
    • In 2023, a core team was developed to act as a working group to represent key areas of the university. This group includes members of Marketing & Communications, Information Technology Services, Academic Affairs, Recruitment and Enrollment, and Student Engagement.

    History of the website

    sdsmt edu website history