New website design eases navigation, enhances visual appeal

Alyse Johnson browses the new website in the Fulton Library Jan. 10. Photo by Abby Van Buren 

Utah Valley University’s main website has been updated with a new look to start off the Spring 2018 semester.

According to Nathan Gerber, director of Web Development Services, the redesign took place over a span of 18 months by a team of individuals from UVU’s Marketing and Communications, Web Development Services and other web design departments.

The updates were made for several reasons — one being to ease navigation for different types of visitors, such as incoming students, current students, faculty and staff, community, alumni and donors. The website achieves this by providing a “choose your starting point” option at the top of the page.

“By separating those audiences right from the homepage, we can create content pathways to lead people quickly to the resources they need,” Gerber said.

New information has been added to the homepage, such as up-to-date statistics showing the average number of students per class and the percentage of students who were awarded financial aid. The university’s stance on inclusivity is emphasized by the homepage, including the number of countries represented and the age range of students.

“[The stats and numbers] are really interesting and let’s you know more about the university without really having to look into it and helps you to appreciate UVU more,” Alyse Johnson, an undecided major student, said.

“We are hoping with the new homepage that we will be able to now keep it fresh and more engaging as needs change,” Gerber said.

Quick access to internship, study abroad, wellness and club information is another update aimed to increase usability, as well as convenient links to purchase tickets to campus events, such as sporting events and various performances of the arts.  

While the new design offers many advantages, there is a drawback. According to Johnson, the student/professor portal that connects to Canvas and other systems, myUVU, is harder to find on the new website.

The team will continue to improve the website as feedback is provided.