Transforming the University of West London's digital presence through user-centric design and Drupal upgrade
Client overview
The University of West London (UWL) is known for its commitment to delivering high-quality education closely linked to employment opportunities. With recent investments across its campuses, UWL needed a digital presence that matched its reputation for excellence, particularly as many of its prospective students would be the first in their families to attend university.
The Challenge
The University of West London approached us with significant pain points regarding its existing website. The poor information architecture, complicated course pages, and duplicate content were damaging the user experience and negatively impacting SEO. Compounding these issues, the website's infrastructure was outdated, resulting in operational inefficiencies, high resource demands, and an inability to effectively engage a diverse and international audience. With a pressing deadline for a new student recruitment cycle, the urgency to overhaul their digital footprint was essential.
— Susan Vittery Digital Manager“CTI Digital demonstrated a thorough understanding of the unique challenges and requirements faced by each of our schools and students. Their expert team has guided our strategic vision in a way that will enable us to grow for years to come.”
The Approach
To effectively transform the University of West London’s digital presence, we focused on understanding both prospective students and institutional needs. Our user-centric design aimed to align UWL's offerings with its mission to empower students, particularly first-generation university attendees seeking clear guidance.
Key components of our approach included:
Key components of our approach included:
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Discovery phase
We conducted remote user studies, online surveys, and stakeholder interviews to develop detailed personas that captured the motivations and behaviours of prospective students. -
User experience mapping
Collaborative workshops allowed us to create journey maps that identified key friction points and guided our design improvements. -
User-centric design
Our UX experts developed wireframe prototypes and interactive mockups, followed by rigorous usability testing to ensure that our solutions met user expectations. -
Information architecture enhancement
We employed Tree Testing and Card Sorting methodologies, clarifying navigation and increasing user success rates by 71%, thereby enabling users to find relevant content quickly. -
Drupal health check and migration
We upgraded UWL's website to an up-to-date version of Drupal, while also optimising performance and security. -
Mobile-first implementation
A commitment to mobile-first design ensured an accessible and user-friendly experience across all devices. -
Managed hosting
We provided 24/7 monitoring and proactive incident management to guarantee reliability and security during peak traffic. -
Continuous support
Our partnership included ongoing hosting and support services, ensuring the University of West London’s website remained operational and adaptable.
The Results
The enhancements made to their digital presence have fundamentally improved the user experience, fostering greater engagement among prospective students. This transformation didn’t merely focus on aesthetics but was rooted in a comprehensive understanding of user needs and institutional goals.
Our user-centred design and strategic enhancements achieved not just incremental improvements but substantial results that have elevated UWL’s digital engagement.
Our user-centred design and strategic enhancements achieved not just incremental improvements but substantial results that have elevated UWL’s digital engagement.
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Our informed UX improvements effectively streamlined user pathways, allowing prospective students to navigate the site with ease.81%Reduction in abandonment rate
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The revised user experience facilitated better access to information, leading to a significant uptick in inquiries from international students.139%Increase in international enquiries
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By simplifying the booking process and enhancing the presentation of open day information, we drew more prospective students to engage directly with the university.432%Increase in open day bookings
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Improvements in navigation resulted in higher completion rates for user tasks, showcasing a more effective digital journey for visitors.71%Increase in user success rates
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Technical improvements, including lazy loading and caching, contributed to faster load times, enhancing user satisfaction.46%Reduction in average page download time
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This increase not only underscores the effectiveness of our SEO strategies but also reflects a growing awareness of the University of West London’s offerings within the competitive higher education landscape.50%Increase in new users
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This signifies that prospective students are now more likely to complete key actions on the site, such as signing up for newsletters or initiating their applications.484%Increase in goal completions