In today’s fast-paced digital world, a website isn’t just a digital brochure. It’s the heart of your online presence, a crucial tool for growth, engagement, and conversion. For Washington Cornhusker, their website was no longer pulling its weight. Outdated, difficult to navigate, and lacking the professional polish necessary to attract prospective students and alumni, the site needed a complete overhaul.
This case study takes you behind the scenes of our work with Washington Cornhusker, detailing the strategic process that brought their website from frustrating and outdated to polished and engaging. But more than just a pretty face, this project is about real results: improved user experience (UX), better content presentation, and ultimately, a digital platform poised for growth.
Understanding the Washington Cornhusker Challenge
Washington Cornhusker is a well-established institution with a rich legacy of academic excellence. But their digital presence wasn’t reflective of their prestige. The site had become cluttered, slow, and hard to navigate. Worse, prospective students and alumni alike found it difficult to access the information they needed, leading to frustration and missed opportunities.
The problems were clear:
- Poor user experience, with complicated navigation.
- A lack of mobile responsiveness, making browsing on phones and tablets a hassle.
- Outdated design that no longer resonated with their audience.
Washington Cornhusker’s goal? To modernize the website with a clean, user-friendly design that would showcase their academic programs, boost engagement, and make their content easy to access.
The Redesign Process: Crafting a Seamless Digital Experience
Every successful website redesign starts with a solid discovery phase. Before we could write a line of code, we needed to understand Washington Cornhusker’s audience, pain points, and objectives. Through detailed research and consultations, we identified the core issues that needed addressing and set a clear path forward.
Our approach focused on three main areas:
- Enhanced User Experience: We restructured the site’s navigation to make it intuitive. Clear menu paths, simplified layouts, and consistent design elements helped guide users to the right information faster.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Knowing that over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, we optimized the site for seamless use across all platforms. Whether on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, the new site provides a smooth, responsive experience.
- Modern Visual Design: A fresh color palette, new typography, and an updated layout brought Washington Cornhusker’s digital presence into the modern era. Clean lines, ample white space, and well-organized content blocks created a professional yet approachable look.
Key Design Elements: Bringing the Vision to Life
To honor Washington Cornhusker’s legacy while pushing their digital presence forward, we carefully selected colors and fonts that represented both tradition and modernity.
Color Palette:
We chose a bold scarlet hue, a nod to the institution’s heritage, balanced with neutral tones for a clean, professional aesthetic. This created a visual connection to the institution’s identity while ensuring the design remained contemporary.
Typography:
For typography, we paired two highly readable and modern fonts: Phudu for headlines and Open Sans for body text. Phudu’s unique style gave the site a memorable flair, while Open Sans ensured readability and accessibility across all devices.
Visual Layout:
We simplified the layout, organizing information in a way that’s easy to digest. Whether a prospective student looking for admission requirements or an alumnus checking out the latest news, users can now find what they need without digging through layers of content. Visual elements like call-to-action buttons and highlighted sections encourage interaction and make important content stand out.
Technical Solutions: What Powered the Success
The aesthetics weren’t the only challenge. Under the hood, we tackled several technical hurdles to ensure the site’s performance matched its shiny new design.
Performance Enhancements:
We optimized images and leveraged browser caching to significantly improve page load times. By doing so, we provided a faster, smoother experience for users across all devices.
SEO Optimization:
We applied best practices for on-page SEO, including meta tags, structured data, and optimized content, ensuring the site would perform well in search engine rankings. This helps drive organic traffic and increases visibility for prospective students and alumni alike.
Content Management Flexibility:
To streamline content updates, we integrated a powerful CMS that allowed the Washington Cornhusker team to easily manage content without needing technical expertise. From updating event calendars to adding blog posts, their internal team can now make changes quickly and efficiently.
The Results: From Fixer-Upper to Showstopper
Our efforts paid off big time. Beyond a sleek new design and improved functionality, the real impact was in the performance metrics. Check out the final mobile performance numbers:
- Performance: 90/100 (↑27 points)
- Accessibility: 81/100 (↑19 points)
- Best Practices: 100/100 (maintained)
- SEO: 85/100 (↑8 points)
But numbers only tell part of the story. The real win came from feedback on the user experience. The Washington Cornhusker team reported:
- A more engaging platform for alumni and prospective students
- Increased flexibility in content management
- A noticeable boost in student recruitment and their scholarship program
These metrics and feedback show that our holistic approach went beyond aesthetics. We delivered a professional platform designed for both growth and real-world results.
The redesigned Washington Cornhusker website delivered a sleek, user-friendly platform that enhanced their digital presence. Here are some of the standout achievements:
- Improved UX: Simplified navigation and a modern design made it easier for users to find the information they needed, reducing bounce rates and increasing time on site.
- Unified Platform: We consolidated disparate resources, including blogs, podcasts, and event calendars, into one cohesive, easy-to-navigate experience.
- Positive Client Feedback: The Washington Cornhusker team praised the new site for its clean design, ease of use, and effectiveness in communicating their mission.
But numbers and testimonials only tell part of the story. The true measure of success lies in the impact on their community:
- Increased Engagement: Alumni and prospective students alike have reported a more engaging and enjoyable browsing experience.
- Boost in Traffic: The new SEO-optimized content and improved site speed led to increased organic traffic from search engines.
- Greater Flexibility: With the new CMS, the Washington Cornhusker team can now manage content with ease, freeing up resources and improving efficiency.
Why This Matters for You
If you’re looking to transform your website into a powerful platform for growth, this case study highlights how strategic web design can unlock your organization’s potential. Whether it’s simplifying your user experience, modernizing your brand’s visual identity, or improving site performance, a thoughtfully designed website can drive real, measurable results.
At the end of the day, your website is a reflection of your brand. It’s where first impressions are made and lasting connections are forged. We worked with Washington Cornhusker to deliver a website that not only looks great but also functions as an effective tool for growth. And we can do the same for you.
Ready to Elevate Your Website?
If you’re ready to take the next step and transform your digital presence, let’s talk. Reach out today to schedule a consultation and see how we can help you build a website that drives results.
