The Redesign and Implementation of

Cleveland State University’s

School of Communication Website

by

JSK Advertising

Katy Casteel

Stacy Erdman

Jenna Salamon

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Contents

Situation Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 3

Goal Statement ................................................................................................................................ 4

Target Audience .............................................................................................................................. 5

Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Strategies ......................................................................................................................................... 6

Tactics ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Design Phase ............................................................................................................................... 8

Gather content for the site ................................................................................................ 8

Hire a web developer........................................................................................................ 9

Meet with faculty for a tutorial ........................................................................................ 9

Website Launch ........................................................................................................................... 9

Press Release .................................................................................................................... 9

Social Media posts ......................................................................................................... 10

Have event for students and faculty ............................................................................... 11

Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................... 12

Timeline ........................................................................................................................................ 13

Budget ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Website Design One ..................................................................................................................... 15

Website Design Two ..................................................................................................................... 18

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Situation Analysis

Cleveland State University's (CSU) School of Communication grants students the

opportunity to graduate with several career options. The school offers several undergraduate and

graduate programs for students to choose from. CSU’s School of Communication houses

nationally-ranked faculty who provide students with hands-on experience in addition to guidance

and mentorship. It is a premier college that any student would feel fortunate to attend.

The School of Communication’s website does not currently convey the positive attributes

the college offers. While the current design of the website is straightforward and easy to

navigate, it is dull and unmodern. There is an excessive amount of white space, very few photos

on the site, and far too much writing. Additionally, the website does not have current content or

class information and is very click-heavy. Resources are limited for both faculty and students

alike.

This puts the school at risk of losing potential students. Other universities in the

surrounding area have websites for their Communication school with better design elements,

more relevant information and easier navigation. By taking note of what other colleges are doing

with their sites, CSU’s School of Communication has the opportunity to create a more intractable

and resourceful website that will appeal to both students and faculty. This can be achieved by

updating the website to include relevant information about the school, news, more current photos

and/or videos and an overall visually-pleasing design that will entice students and faculty to

continue returning to the site.

The redesign of the website will take some significant time and require financial

resources for it to be successful. There may be limited funds in CSU’s budget, which may hinder

this project from moving forward. However, this redesign has the potential to be monetarily

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beneficial to the university as it may boost enrollment to the School of Communication’s

graduate program, as well as undergraduates who are looking for the best school to attend.

Redesigning the website will not only reflect the creativity and engaged learning of the School of

Communication, it will also enhance Cleveland State University’s appeal overall.

Goal Statement

The goal is for the communications department of Cleveland State University to redesign

its website to be more user-friendly and visually appealing for students and faculty.

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Target Audience

Redesigning Cleveland State University’s School of Communication website will be a

great benefit to any student or faculty member who utilize the site. This strategic communication

plan will address two target audiences in which the website may be most beneficial.

The first segment to be targeted will be students in the Greater Cleveland area who have

graduated, or are just about to graduate, who are interested in learning about and/or want to

enroll in Cleveland State University’s communications graduate program. The design of CSU’s

School of Communication website is an important factor when trying to entice a potential

graduate student in learning more about the school, and thereby applying to the program. Having

an engaging landing page with a subpage specifically for graduate students may help increase the

number of applications to the school.

The second segment targeted in the campaign will be faculty of the communications

department at Cleveland State University who can better utilize the School of Communication’s

website for themselves and for their students. Creating a subpage specifically for faculty in the

communication department can help these educators stay better connected to their students and

will also provide more appropriate resources that can be used on a consistent basis. Faculty

members would also be more likely to suggest the use of the school’s website to their students,

thereby creating more viewership of the site.

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Objectives

The objective of this campaign for the target audience of graduate students is to increase

enrollment in Cleveland State University’s communications graduate program by 10% in a six-

month time span through applications on the website.

The objective of this campaign for the target audience of Cleveland State University’s

communications faculty is to generate a minimum of 25 site views per month for six months on

the faculty subpage of the School of Communications website.

Strategies

In order to meet the stated objectives, students and faculty need to be made aware of the

School of Communications website redesign. There will be a number of strategies that will be

implemented in order to create the new design of the website and to promote that design once it

is completed.

There are two different web designs based on the two audiences to be targeted. Both

designs of the landing page will be simple but eye-catching with current photos of CSU and the

School of Communication. One design will feature an aerial-shot video of the campus. Both

landing pages will have clickable links that will take the user to one of three subpages:

Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students or Faculty. Each subpage will have relevant

information to that specific group. Both landing pages will also have links to CSU’s various

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social media accounts, as well as a spry bar with a drop-down menu for those who are looking

for something specific on the site.

The subpages featured in this campaign are for those of the target audiences. The

graduate student subpage will have information about the graduate program and a clickable link

that will take the user to the graduate school application. The faculty subpage will feature

resources such as updated degree tracks, current news within the school and links to other

relevant sites such as Blackboard and Campus Net.

When the redesign is close to being completed, there will be an event held for students

and faculty members to check out the new site, with an opportunity to provide feedback on the

redesign. When the website is ready to be rolled out to the public, a press release will be issued,

posts will be made to CSU’s various social media accounts and an email will be sent to alumni

and current students announcing the change. Those who receive the email will then be

encouraged to pass the word along to other students and faculty members.

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Tactics

The following section provides a step-by-step implementation plan for the stated

strategies. These tactics are necessary for the success of the proposed redesign of the School of

Communication’s website. There will be two phases to the project: the design phase and the

website launch.

Design Phase

Gather content for the site

Content must be gathered for the new website design. This can include content from the

current site (contact information, list of faculty, social media links, etc.), but the majority of the

content should be new. An aerial video of Cleveland State should be taken using a drone to be

used for the landing page should Design 1 be chosen. Pictures should be taken of life on campus,

including students interacting with each other and their teachers; faculty in the classroom;

interior and exterior shots of the School of Communication; etc. The more pictures taken, the

more there will be to choose from when it comes to making decisions on the final design.

Informational resources should also be created for the new site. This would include news

stories relating to the School of Communication and CSU news. These stories can be included

from The Cleveland Stater and from the university’s news pool. Stories and articles can be

written specifically for the School of Communication, if desired. Students and faculty will have

the opportunity to provide this content for the launch of the redesigned website, as well as the

continued duration of the site.

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Hire a web developer

The most crucial part of this project will be to hire a web developer who can create the

website in a timely and efficient manner. Reaching out to several different web developers for

quotes and portfolios of past projects is recommended. The goal is to hire a developer on an

hourly basis for no more than 100 hours total. This should be a sufficient amount of time (3-4

weeks) for the web developer to create software for the School of Communication website.

Content can be added to the site by the developer and/or the designated manager of the sites up

keeping.

Meet with faculty for a tutorial

Once the website is created, there will be a meeting in which faculty members will get a

first glimpse of the new design. A tutorial will be given on how to use the website, for which

faculty can then relay to students once the website is active. This meeting will take place roughly

2-4 weeks before the website is live to the general public. Faculty will have the opportunity to

provide feedback during the meeting, which will be taken into account if appropriate concerns

are made.

Website Launch

Press Release

A press release will be issued to students and faculty by email, will appear in The

Cleveland Stater and The Cauldron, and will also be attached to social media posts announcing

the launch of the redesigned website. Local news outlets can also be made aware of the press

release, if necessary. The press release will be made public on the first day the School of

Communication’s new website goes live.

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Social Media posts

A social media post announcing an event for the launch of the website will be shared on

Cleveland State’s various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. A

sample post to Instagram can be found below in Figure 1. Once the website is officially

launched, more posts will be made to CSU’s social media accounts, such as the Twitter post

example in Figure 2. Pictures from the launch event can be included on the College of Liberal

Arts and Social Sciences’ (CLASS) Flickr account.

Figure 1

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Figure 2

Have event for students and faculty

There will be a free event held for students and faculty to celebrate the launch of the

website. This event will be held in Drinko Hall on the first floor of the School of Communication

building. Computers will be provided for students to view and interact with the new website,

with faculty on hand to give tutorials. An email invitation to the event will be sent out to

communication professors, students who are currently enrolled in a communication course and to

those who have expressed interest in the graduate program within the last 12 months. As an

incentive for attending, the first 20 attendees will receive a $5 gift card to the Chili’s restaurant

in the student center. Light snacks and refreshments will also be provided during the event.

Students will be asked to fill out a survey in which they can voice opinions on how well the site

functions regarding design, practicability and interactivity.

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Evaluation

For the first target audience of graduate students, all of the applications received for the

graduate program within a six-month period after the new website design launch will be

measured to determine if the number has increased from the number of applications in the last

year. The number of clicks that come through the site for request for information and the steps

for application will also be measured to determine if the new design of the School of

Communication’s website is effective in bringing more traffic to the site.

The second target audience, CSU’s communications faculty, will also be measured for a

six-month period by number of clicks and evaluated on the new website. Additionally, surveys

will be handed out at the first look faculty meeting to measure the excitement of the new web

design. The surveys will also be handed out at the first look website launch party and will

measure the excitement of the new design. Students will return the survey upon exiting the

event. JSK Advertising will also email a message using Survey Monkey to the students that are

requesting information about CSU’s graduate program. In doing two different surveys, JSK has

different measurables surrounding the ease of using the new website.

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Timeline

Below is an example of what the timeline for this project will look like (Figure 3). The

first six months will be dedicated to the design and implementation of the new School of

Communication website. The following six months will be devoted to the evaluation and

measurement to the success of the website.

Figure 3

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Budget

The costs associated with a new website launch and redesign for the School of

Communication are obtainable. Most of the cost will be used to hire a web developer. The web

developer will be crucial to make sure all content from the existing site is carried over to the new

design. The first look event will have some minor costs associated, such as gift card giveaways

to the first 20 students, some light refreshments and food. The final cost associated with the

website redesign will go to JSK Advertising for its committee fee. The cost breakdown is as

follows:

● $100 for student gift card giveaway to Chili’s (20-$5 gift cards)

● $250 for food, drink and other items for launch event

● $150 for a drone to get a shot of the school

● $6,000 committee fee

● $10,000 web developer- $100 per hour up to 100 hours

Total cost for design of the website and its launch will be $16,500

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Website Design One

For this design the goal was to create a sleek and simple look with very little clutter but

still be able to provide all the information needed (Figure 4). A spry bar is at the top of the page

which links to information about the college, contact information for the School of

Communication and news that links to The Cleveland Stater and The Cauldron. Under the spry

bar are the words “Start your journey with Cleveland State” as an aerial shot of campus will play

in the background. Underneath are three portals that lead to more information for undergraduate

students, graduate students and faculty. Each portal will have relevant information on the course

tracks, information on how to apply for both sets of students and a resource portal for faculty. On

the bottom of the page are the icons that will link students to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and

LinkedIn.

The graduate subpage will have relevant information regarding the master’s degree

program Cleveland State offers (Figure 5). On the right is the name of the degree and the left is a

brief overview of the program. On the bottom there are two buttons that link to the steps needed

to apply, and to request additional information. When the “apply now” button is clicked, a pop

up will appear with the five easy steps for admission. When the “request info” button is selected,

a pop up will appear as a fillable form to submit (Figure 6).

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Figure 4

Figure 5

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Figure 6

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Website Design Two

While considering the layout for the faculty of the CSU School of Communications, it

was determined that the website should provide more resources. The current website is quite

minimal with its design with far too much text. The new design aims to counteract these flaws.

This website provides more color, less text and more options for faculty to use.

The new landing page (Figure 7) has CSU branding and a spry bar up top. Text is clear

and concise for easy navigation. Additionally, the background of the page is a far cry from the

plain, white background of the current site. A view of the school with the background of the city

portrays the school as more than just a school. The entire city is its playground. The page has an

about me section that is much shorter than the current site. Those interested in reading more can

click on “About Us” in the respective section or the spry bar. Below, visitors see three options:

faculty, undergraduate or graduates. These will link to their respective subpages; links for these

can also be found in the spry bar.

The subpage page for the faculty provides much more than the current site (Figure 8).

The current site, when the “Faculty” link is chosen, has only a list of faculty members for the

School of Communications. When someone clicks on the link for faculty on the new site, the

user will find not only faculty information, but also links to different websites they may find

helpful, and important information and news. When the page is initially loaded, the CSU

branding and spry bar remain up top as on the home page. Similarly, the background of the

school and city remains. Faculty resources are available immediately. Links to Blackboard,

Human Resources, Campus Net and Explorance Blue show at the top of the page.

These links are the most commonly used by university faculty. Keeping with the

simplistic theme, below the links stated, faculty can find two columns: contacts and news &

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information. Contacts, as opposed to the current site, does not show every person of the faculty

on the faculty page. Rather, the first six, listed alphabetically, are shown and a “load more”

option is available. This saves space on the page and keeps it looking clean. The other column,

news & information, is as labeled. Relevant articles and links are listed with a brief summary

below the title. Visitors can click on either column titles to see the entire lists of both.

The footer of each page of the site has contact and mailing information. Additionally, a

quick link to the Cleveland Stater and social media links are available. The colors of the website

are in tune with the school’s official colors: green, gray, white and black. These stay consistent

throughout the entire website.

The website is clear and concise to provide a more professional feel and to make the

website easier to navigate. By shortening the amount of text on the page, it will keep visitors

interested. Those who use the site are unlikely to read the entire three paragraph long “About

Us” section that currently stands. Keeping it short will increase the chances of it being read. If

readers want additional information after a short synopsis, they have the option to click and

continue reading. By providing additional resources on the faculty page, the website is bound to

be used more often.

As it stands now, there is little reason for faculty to visit the School of Communication

website. However, with the new design, they have important links that can be used on a

consistent basis. Having them all on one page gives ease of access and simplifies the browsing

process. Below are images of the website, but to see a live mockup, visit online now at

https://katycasteel.wixsite.com/csucom.

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Figure 7

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Figure 8