brief
The University of West London (UWL) has a reputation for high-quality education closely linked with employment. UWL is ranked as the top modern university in London by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, and 50th university nationally by the Guardian University Guide 2019. It was also shortlisted for The Times Higher Education 2018 University of the Year Award.
We partnered with UWL in 2014 to provide ongoing management, support, development and design for their website. The university has a large and complex Drupal site and is subject to extensive legal requirements, so needed an expert and proactive digital partner who could make strategic improvements over time.
action
Since partnering with UWL, we’ve provided Drupal maintenance services to ensure their website is secure, up-to-date and functioning optimally. We’ve also worked on various Drupal web design projects to improve the site as and when UWL’s budgets have allowed.
One of these projects was to develop UWL’s website to focus on clearing each August/September – an important time when countless students are trying to find out about and apply for clearing spaces. Time was of the essence as we needed to complete everything in advance of the upcoming clearing period. We began by creating various wireframes and met with senior management to discuss options and consider how best to maximise student appeal and applications.
Within the set timeframe, we created a fresh, new fully-responsive clearing homepage that could be set to appear only during the clearing period. The page features an optimised design, pop-up search option and simple online application process, making it quick and easy for prospective students to find out about and apply for UWL’s clearing spaces.
Another project involved redesigning the UWL website’s usual homepage, particularly focusing on improving user experience for current and prospective students. The homepage now has a UX-optimised layout and navigation, and includes options to search for a course or login to the student portal. We also freshened up the design and branding, and ensured full mobile and tablet responsivity.
Following this, we’ve gradually updated the design and responsivity for the rest of the UWL site. Our changes have also made it easier for staff to maintain and operate the website in the back-end, with options to promote priority content and include videos.
impact
Following the launch of the new clearing homepage, UWL’s clearing section saw a massive 300% increase in traffic, with mobile visits increased by over 400%. On UWL’s homepage, traffic has also increased by 10% and average time spent on the site has increased by over 33%.
We’re continuing to partner with UWL, providing ongoing Drupal support and web design services to ensure optimal digital performance.
