Updates to pages for current students

Just in time for the start of term, we've updated our pages for current students using the quick fix mobile-optimised redesign.

The pages now look smarter and are easier to use on the mobiles and tablets which account for over a third of their pageviews.

Old style

New style

Removal of personalised content

In addition to the design changes, we've also redeveloped the student homepage. Viewers of that page used to see just a large button inviting them to log in, but 80% didn't do so. We've removed that login option so that everyone gets straight to the news and content that they need.

Removing the login option does mean we've had to remove the personalised elements of the page for now, including timetable and library widgets. Usage data showed that these were very lightly used though so the cost of maintaining them didn't seem justified by the limited use.

Feedback

This has been a quick-turnaround project, so while it's a great step forward there may be room for more improvement. Comments are welcome here on the blog or through the feedback form on the web pages themselves.

Welcome to new undergraduates

We've just launched a set of web pages to welcome new undergraduates, giving them easy-to-digest information about everything they need to know before they arrive, that they can dip into as and when.

What looks like a simple set of pages has actually taken about nine months to put together, given the huge amount of content planning that was needed before the web team could start building web pages. 

A small group of people in the Academic Registry spent weeks reviewing what is sent to new undergraduates, when and who by, in an effort to reduce the amount of paper that's posted out and tell people what they need to know in a way that doesn't overwhelm them. The results were translated into a web structure and content by our Internal Comms team.

We want give students a warm welcome before they get to campus, so there are eight short welcome videos from student reps and members of staff - people who new students will regularly hear from or meet when they get here.

But by far the most popular video on the site is the 'Unofficial official guide to the University'. This came from an idea originally suggested by Tim Ngwena while he was YUSU president. He realised that most students don't understand the way the University is organised and how they fit in, and wanted to do something about it. This cartoon is the result.

Put together by Tim (now working for the Alumni team) and talented student cartoonist Hugo Brook, it's been scripted to give a short, friendly, informal guide around the University's structure. Something that could be a very dull read has been brought to life - we think it's brilliant, and we hope you enjoy it too.