Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Revamps Web Site Design, Students Provide Input

After receiving largely negative feedback from students, the Office of Communications is undergoing advanced stages of the university Web site revamp in an effort to modernize Georgetown’s online presence.

The university launched a blog in November on which students could post comments on design proposals. Many were receptive to the move, as the student opinion trends favorably toward overhauling the old design. The layout that was chosen for the new Web site features home page with a two-column layout and space for a video.

“The Web site is not navigable,” Maggie Larkin (COL ’13) said. “Its poor design reflects badly on the university and gives a negative impression to prospective students. I feel like it was designed in the ’90s, and a prestigious university should have a Web site to match.”

Andy Pino, director of media relations, said the push for a Web site makeover is in response to increased demands for online content from university stakeholders, adding that the last Web site renovation was completed in 2002.

“Since [2002], the needs and expectations in terms of delivering information online have surpassed what our current presentation and technology allow,” Pino said. “We are updating the site to deliver more compelling content, enhance functionality and use of multimedia and improve navigation and search functionality. This redesign has presented a great opportunity for us to utilize user input and feedback to provide compelling content for our audiences.”

Through efforts like the blog, the university has sought out responses from the Georgetown community in crafting the new Web site.

“During this process we’ve consulted with a wide range of people including students, faculty, staff, alumni and board members to get their perspectives and ideas for the site,” Pino said.

Georgetown University Television has helped produce 25 short videos set to appear on the campus map of the new Web site.

GUTV General Manager Chris Cronbaugh (COL ’12) explained that the videos will appear in an interactive map of campus, providing user-friendly information and a video about various buildings and areas of campus once a visitor to the Web site clicks on the building or area’s icon.

“Instead of being virtual tours, these videos are, for the most part, sequences of interviews with students and faculty, which really moves the focus from giving a visual representation of a building to giving the personal connection that people make with that particular building or area on campus,” Cronbaugh said.

Speaking personally, Cronbaugh said the current Web site has a static and old feel to it, which fails to reflect the “Georgetown image.”

“[The Web site] doesn’t seem to adapt to screen resolutions, and it doesn’t seem to reflect new technologies available to use for building Web sites,” Cronbaugh said. “Both of these can reflect negatively on the university, because people visiting the site can interpret this as not only a lack of integration of new technologies on the site, but could also imply that Georgetown University doesn’t integrate new technologies into classrooms and into learning.”

The new Web site is scheduled to launch within the year.

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