www.rice.edu’s redesign earns kudos

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Rice University’s redesigned main Web page is one of two sites selected this month by eduStyle as a “noteworthy design.”

EduStyle is a higher-ed Web design gallery operated by Web professionals in higher education. Members and other users of the site vote and comment on sites they like or dislike, and the results determine which two sites are singled out for recognition each month.

Rice.edu was redesigned by a Public Affairs team led by Sean Rieger, associate director for Web development, to support the university’s new branding and marketing campaign.

“Recognition from your peers is the ultimate validation,” said Linda Thrane, vice president for Public Affairs.  “This is one more way – a highly visible way – to tell the world about Rice’s extraordinary contributions to higher education, research and public service.  This site is also a working site for Rice students, faculty and employees, so we had to balance all those factors as we raised the bar on functionality, design and, most important, content quality.”

She said other Rice communications tools, including media relations, publications, marketing and advertising, all help drive traffic to the Web site.  Rieger will be tracking that traffic to learn more about who visits the site and where they go within it. 

”We want them going to rice.edu, liking what they see and spending more time in the site reading what we want them to read – and then coming back for more,” Rieger said. 

Public Affairs also has redesigned other major gateway pages and is working with Web Services to overhaul major administrative and academic sites throughout the rice.edu site.  

To view comments made about the Rice site, visit www.edustyle.net.