Visting Students Webpage
The Project Brief: The project brief tasked me with creating a webpage dedicated to visiting students interested in summer online courses at UT Austin. The goal was to design a page that not only visually appealed to prospective students but also clearly communicated the opportunities available to them, making navigation intuitive and the enrollment process straightforward. This involved designing custom graphics, including a banner, editing images for cohesion, and structuring the content to ensure a seamless user experience.
The Process: The process was particularly challenging due to the unique structure and requirements of this page compared to other sections of the site. For instance, the banner design underwent several iterations to ensure it was both informative and visually compatible with varying screen sizes, a critical consideration given the diverse devices potential students might use to access the site. Feedback highlighted the need to avoid overly specific imagery, such as the UT tower, which could mislead users about the nature of the online courses.
The final banner design, therefore, leaned towards an abstract representation of studying from anywhere, aligning with the theme of accessibility and flexibility. Adjusting the website’s color scheme and text placement to mitigate the dominance of UT’s traditional orange and to enhance readability across different devices posed additional challenges. Ensuring that the courses were presented in an organized and accessible manner required careful consideration, especially given the directive to sort courses alphabetically while maintaining clarity regarding term offerings. This aspect was further complicated by the pre-existing organizational structure, which differed from other parts of the site, requiring a thoughtful approach to integrate seamlessly.
Collaboration and iteration were key aspects of this project. Feedback from various stakeholders guided adjustments to the visual elements and content presentation, ensuring the page not only met UT Austin’s branding standards but also addressed the needs and expectations of prospective students. The project exemplified the importance of flexibility, creativity, and user-centric design in developing an effective digital communication platform.
The Outcome: The outcome is showcased on the website, reflecting a carefully curated balance of informational clarity and visual appeal. Custom graphics, such as the banner at the top, were crafted to immediately capture the essence of summer learning at UT Austin. Editing existing images and selecting new ones ensured that each visual element contributed to the narrative of flexibility and accessibility that is central to the summer online courses. In conclusion, despite the structural challenges and the need for several iterations, the project was a fulfilling opportunity to contribute to UT Austin’s outreach efforts, providing a welcoming and informative online space for visiting students interested in summer courses. The final webpage stands as a visual for collaborative problem-solving and the effective integration of design and content strategy to enhance user experience.
