31 July marked the end of the formal OneWeb Programme. This update reflects on where the programme started and reports on what it has achieved – and how much more is still to come…
OneWeb: ‘It’s the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end’
The OneWeb Programme was given the green light by UEB and Council three years ago to address failures in the experience users were having with our website, and tackle the huge size and unmanaged growth of our digital content built up over several decades.
An initial investigation revealed:
- 90,000 pages on the corporate website, increasing by 5,000 each year
- 4,000 separate websites associated with the University
- 85 per cent of users unable to find what they were looking for
- Search engines unable to find the correct information
- Out of date, inaccurate and unsupported platforms and information
This made our website hard to find, hard to use, and meant that our digital presence didn’t reflect our world class status to prospective staff, students or potential research partners, among others. In fact, some prospective students reported simply giving up trying to engage with us. It was clear that our flawed web presence was the cause of missed opportunities, lost income, and potential reputational damage.
To address this, the Programme was set up to systematically and fundamentally change the University’s approach to the way digital services are created and managed at the University. This is so much more than simply a new website.
Where we are now
This was one of the most ambitious and far-reaching cross-university projects the University has ever undertaken. Over the last three years, the team has worked with hundreds of users and internal stakeholders to research, consult, design, develop, test and evaluate new online services and solutions that meet the needs of a range of our users, including current and prospective students, staff and partners.
Users who engage with undergraduate and postgraduate course content or with our ‘student life’ content (which covers life in the city and on our campuses) are already benefitting from a totally new experience which was built with their specific needs in mind.
The ongoing testing and evaluation of these new services has already demonstrated several immediate benefits including:
- increasing website traffic by 21%.
- improving our ability to be found by search engines by 33%
- an uplift of 31% and 62% for undergraduate and postgraduate taught course pages respectively, due to improved journeys and information since new content launched in September 2020
- A huge reduction in duplicate content, which has lowered maintenance needs and supports our digital sustainability
- And in this year’s Clearing and Adjustment we recorded an impressive 1643 online applications alone. Pay Per Click (PPC) Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) were the two highest contributing channels to online applications accounting for 25% (404 applications) and 46% (763 applications) respectively.
Coming next
A further twenty major areas of our website will be transformed through this ongoing work. Each has been tried and tested and is on track to be delivered over the next twelve months. They include:
- New staff profiles – as a fundamental component of our website, the new profile pages have been tested extensively to ensure they meet the needs of both external and internal users (staff). They will be interconnected with course information and research and enterprise content, showing clearly which staff are involved in which activities and linking seamlessly between these areas of content. Colleagues will be able to update their own profiles. Further information on this will be released in the new academic year.
- Prospective PGRs – an improved overall experience which will make it far easier for prospective PGR students to find in-depth information about our PGR offer and how and where they can apply – providing the content they need, at the time they need it.
- ‘Study at’ pages – a single source of rich, easy to find information for each subject area, tested to ensure it resonates with prospective students, allowing them to explore in detail what it’s like to study their subject of interest at Southampton.
- Facilities pages – showcasing our world class facilities to prospective research and enterprise partners and business prospects.
- Impact content – these pages will tell the story of our University’s impact on the world in a way that reflects how our users consume and engage with the content and the details which matter most to them.
- Research – easily findable content which showcases our research and its global impact to prospective students, staff and partners. Includes information about research institutes, centres, groups and projects.
- New navigation and architecture – The way the information is pieced together and presented, including using best practice for accessibility, will provide a seamless experience; users will find what they are looking for with ease.
Beyond the OneWeb programme
31 July marked the end of the formal OneWeb programme, which was delivered on time and on budget and met all of its immediate business objectives.
Going forward, the ongoing work will be delivered by the new Digital User Experience team and will continue to be led by Ayala Gordon, Associate Director of Digital User Experience. The team will continue to work with the guidance and support of the OneWeb Advisory Group, which includes representatives from across our faculties and Professional Services.
From September to December, the team will involve a range of colleagues in planning discussions about the delivery of ‘Staff profiles,’ ‘Study at,’ ‘Research’ and ‘Prospective PGR.’ These meetings will involve both academic and professional services colleagues and will cover in detail the requirements for each of these major areas of change for our website.
If you would like to learn more about what the team are doing and see the latest prototypes they are developing, visit the OneWeb SharePoint site and blog.
To contact the team, via our new Teams channel
