Case
Studies

UCF

Diverse Minds, United Futures:
Empowering Graduate Education at UCF.
This project was carried out in cooperation with our partner
  • Website Analysis
  • Web Recommendations

About the Client

The College of Graduate Studies at the University of Central Florida serves as a gateway to academic
excellence and professional advancement. As a leading institution in graduate education, we offer a wide
range of programs designed to meet the needs of students and society. With a focus on interdisciplinary
collaboration and cutting-edge research, we provide a vibrant and diverse learning environment that
fosters intellectual growth, innovation, and research exploration, where curiosity thrives and limits are
surpassed. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion ensures that all students have the opportunity to
excel and make a positive impact in the world.

Customer need
Need for Site Updates or Upgrades:
Seeking to generate outcomes in terms of inquiries, registrations, applications, and providing a website with a friendly, empathetic, and user-friendly interface for the UCF graduate program, based on a detailed and accurate analysis of the audience.
About This Project:
Website Development:

BUSINESS OUTCOMES:

The focus is on optimizing the functionality and aesthetics of the website, based on research of your audience, to help achieve desired business outcomes, particularly leading to application submissions.
Key strategies include in-depth audience research, capturing minimal data for lead generation, leveraging autocomplete features for user convenience, and implementing immediate pop-ups or embedded forms to facilitate submissions.

OPPORTUNITIES

Shorter Application Forms:
  • Implement a simple initial inquiry form leading to a more detailed application later.
  • Reduce the number of required fields and provide clear instructions throughout.
  • Offer additional guidance on steps like submitting transcripts or requesting letters of recommendation.
  • Conversion rates are expected to increase with a shorter initial form (based on a case study).
Real-Time Chat Support:
  • Integrate a chat feature for applicants to ask questions in real-time.
  • Utilize AI or a representative to provide immediate responses.
  • The chatbot can be programmed with automated responses for frequently asked questions (currently using Mainstay).
Multilingual Website:
  • Enhance inclusivity by offering translated versions of the website content.
  • Showcase diverse cultures and backgrounds to attract international students.
  • Provide resources and support specifically for international applicants.

CUSTOMER PERSONAS

A customer persona (or avatar) is a fictional profile that represents a particular target customer. It is ideal to have a handful of them to cover the majority of your customer base. We have identified and prioritized them here in this portion of the web analysis document.
Prospective Graduate Students
Interested in graduate studies in the US, they seek a reputable university to attend. They are likely university graduates or current undergraduates exploring options for postgraduate education.
Undergraduate Students
Represent those currently enrolled in undergraduate programs at UCF or other institutions, or considering attending UCF for graduate studies. They may be interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the future or simply seeking information about graduate programs, course offerings, and campus life.
Current Graduate Students
Already enrolled in a graduate program at UCF or considering attending, they seek academic resources, professional services, and research opportunities available to graduate students.
Doctoral or Advanced Degree Seekers
Graduates of graduate programs interested in pursuing a doctoral or other advanced degree at UCF, they seek information on specific research areas, funding opportunities, and program requirements. They are also interested in academic resources, professional development, and networking.
Faculty and Staf
This persona represents faculty members and staff at UCF who work with graduate students, including advisors, professors, and administrators. They are likely to be looking for information on policies and procedures related to graduate education, as well as resources to support their work with students.
Alumni
This persona is someone who has already completed a graduate program at UCF and is looking for information on networking opportunities, career services, and other ways to stay connected with the university and its community.
Donors and Supporters
This persona represents individuals and organizations who have a vested interest in supporting graduate education at UCF. They are likely to be looking for information on funding opportunities, scholarship programs, and ways to get involved with the university’s research and academic initiatives.

CURRENT JOURNEY

The current website journey involves landing pages reinforcing primary calls to action (CTAs) and guiding users towards business outcomes. Interior pages provide detailed information with fewer CTAs, aimed at educating users further and directing them back to landing pages and CTAs. Challenges have been identified with secondary pages or user interactions, where visitors are not effectively directed to desired information. Users may find themselves in a loop of secondary information lacking clarity or appropriate CTAs for gathering information.
There is a noticeable trend of high drop-off rates among website visitors, with the number of drop-offs nearly matching the number of sessions. This suggests potential issues with the website’s design, user experience, or content, leading visitors to leave without engaging further.
To tackle this issue, the following marketing strategy is proposed:
Analyze user behavior
Identify pages with the highest drop-off rates and delve deeper into understanding why visitors are leaving those pages.
Optimize website design
Focus on enhancing the website’s design to improve user experience, ensuring easy navigation, appealing visuals, and swift loading times.
Enhance website content
Ensure that content is relevant, informative, and captivating, utilizing high-quality images and videos to enrich the user experience and retain visitor engagement.
Additional Opportunities:
Utilize retargeting
Implement retargeting ads to re-engage visitors who have left the website, encouraging them to return and complete their intended actions.

OPTIMAL JOURNEY

Enhancing website navigation will enable landing pages to effectively achieve desired outcomes.
Ensuring precise website content on each page will guide visitors through their journey effectively.
Clear navigation reduces unnecessary clicks and promotes confident, purposeful navigation, minimizing visitor frustration and discouragement.
Using strong, clear, and well-defined language in menus and primary pages instills confidence in users, ensuring they find what they need with certainty.

WIREFRAMES

Aligning page layout with business objectives and user experience is crucial. A wireframe is a visual representation showing the functional components of a webpage, commonly used for organizing a site’s structure and features. The images below illustrate the user interface of various page categories:
  • Front/Home/Landing Page.
  • Splash Pages/Persona-Specific Pages.
  • Secondary/Informational Pages.
Importance of
“Who is This For”
Definitions on Every Master Page of a Website.
Incorporating “who is this for” definitions on every main page of a website is crucial to help users easily identify relevant content. For example:
Prospective Graduate Students:
Tailored for those considering a master’s or doctoral degree, providing details on programs, application criteria, and funding opportunities.
Current Graduate Students:
Offers resources for UCF graduate students, including academic policies, career services, and more.
Faculty and Staff:
Provides support resources for UCF faculty and staff working with graduate students, including funding options and professional development programs.
Alumni:
Offers information on staying connected with UCF and supporting future Knights as part of the global alumni network.
Prospective International Students:
Designed for international students interested in pursuing graduate studies at UCF, offering details on programs, application requirements, and support services.
Personalized Video Introductions for UCF Graduate Website
“Personas”
The proposal aims to enhance user engagement and understanding on the UCF graduate website by creating personalized video introductions for different user personas. These videos, produced in collaboration with UCF graduate students, would offer insights tailored to each user group, such as prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and international applicants. The videos would be featured prominently on each page and could be customized based on user location or browsing history for enhanced relevance. This approach seeks to provide a more engaging and tailored experience, ultimately boosting engagement and retention on the website.

SEO AUDIT

SEO RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Ensure accurate and evaluated H1 tags sitewide.
  • Review and update meta descriptions.
  • Accurately adjust title tags sitewide.
  • Reduce unused CSS and other calls.
Accessibility Audit:
Semi-Compliant: This website is progressing toward complete compliance.
Complete compliance requires ensuring inclusivity.
Utilize an accessibility tool for audits, coding issues, and legal support. The tool ensures an inclusive experience for all users. (Implemented on RealityMG.com).
Issues:
  • Images need alternative text descriptions.
  • For font icons, SVGs, or decorative images, include a “role” attribute with a value of “presentation” or “none”.
Conclusion:
  • Possible leverage of translation for popular languages within Florida.
  • Potential use of FAQs and chatbots to streamline the consumer journey to desired location(s).
  • Addressing all SEO issues, including evaluation of the site map.
  • Utilization of a suggested accessibility tool to address any accessibility issues or legal matters.
  • Aligning all functionality and aesthetics with key business outcomes.
  • Overall revamp of aesthetics and designs to lean towards best practices and creative trends.
  • Reconfiguration of the menu, footer, and website theme.
  • Creation of a short form to generate and convert leads.
  • Need for precise, reviewed/adjusted content to align with target personas.
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