Work
The New UMD.edu
A Data-Driven, User-Centric Transformation
The Web Services team undertook a complete redesign of the university's flagship website. Guided by data-driven insights and a sharp focus on institutional goals, the new umd.edu delivers a more impactful and user-centric experience.
By the Numbers
2.1M+
page views per year
Google Analytics, Aug 2022 - Aug 2023
150%+
increase in time on page
20s to over a minute, Google Analytics, Jan 2025
2017
when the current site was launched. It's been 8 years since the last redesign
A modern, flexible user-focused brand entry point
The team embarked on the project with a clear mission: to enhance the user experience for the site's audience. The previous version of the site functioned largely as a link farm, offering paths without context and lacking real landing pages or strategic direction. The objective was to create a more engaging and intuitive user experience, featuring clear pathways that allow users to seamlessly explore and connect with the broader University of Maryland online community.
Process
Data-driven decisions
The team carried out an in-depth analysis that included user surveys, looking at behavioral trends, site analytics, search term reviews, competitive assessments and stakeholder interviews. This comprehensive approach enabled us to clearly identify our primary audiences—prospective students and their families—and their most pressing need: admission and program information.
Feature
Showcase priorities with takeovers
Part of the team's strategy was to allow for in-depth exploration of university priorities and themes through home page takeovers. Tackling the Grand Challenges of our time, highlighting important initiatives and messaging high stakes issues could be done easily and effectively.
Results
Keeping users engaged
The site was launched in early January 2025. Early insights show increased users and engagement, and the site bounce rate has significantly decreased, with time on page going from ~20 seconds to over a minute.
