The Johns Hopkins website, jhu.edu, will get a makeover in the coming year, one that will make important information easier to find and do a better job of telling university stories.
Members of the university's Office of Communications, in consultation with stakeholders around the university, are working on planning, design, and Web development for the revamped site, which is expected to launch in 2014. Among the enhancements planned are more-intuitive navigation and an improved search function.
The website redesign comes on the heels of the launch of the university's new identity, which debuted earlier this year.
"Our website is a natural extension of that process as we think strategically about how the university tells its story," says Glenn Bieler, vice president for communications.
A feedback panel composed of JHU undergraduate students met last month for the first time to discuss the project. The group will be asked to contribute ideas and weigh in on design, functionality, and content throughout the process. Input from across the university community—from students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and others—has been and will continue to be an essential part of the process, Bieler said.
The university website was last redesigned in 2009.
"We're still in the very early stages of this project," Bieler says. "It's too early to say with any certainty what the end result will be, but we expect it will involve a more-compelling design and an improved experience for all users."
