2022 Students-First Web Redesign

Summary

The “Students-First Web Redesign” (SWFR) is a comprehensive overhaul of the information architecture (sitewide top-level navigation/UI) of Palomar.edu accompanied by an aesthetic redesign. This project is a follow up to the Students-First Web Optimization project with Civilian Agency and leverages the stakeholder interviews and input, site inventory, and content analysis performed by Civilian.

The Web Advisory Group was established to steer initiatives relating to Palomar College websites, including this project.

Notable Features

Arguably the most significant change to the UI is the use of landing (primary) pages as a replacement for the existing dropdown panes. The proposed sitemap illustrates a tree-type representation of this structure. Hence, these ubiquitous landing pages are central to the site’s user experience (UX).

Since the new site’s top-navigation is remarkably different from that of the current site, all instances of such would need to change in close succession to maintain a consistent user experience (UX). That said, a staged approach would serve only if the UI changed all at once.

New Templates

Four (4) new design templates will comprise the totality of pages for the new Palomar.edu:

Home
Primary (landing)
Audience
General

For the purposes of discussion, the “General” page template will replace nearly all the existing pages on Palomar.edu’s WordPress network, becoming the basis for the new WordPress theme, Palomar Twenty Twenty-Two.