Accessible MIT department website
Challenge
The MIT Chemistry department needed to create a new and accessible website. They had a lot of content, but the old site was lacking structure and flow. In addition to architecture improvements, they wanted a website design to help them stand out from other departments at MIT and as well as other chem department at other universities. Their researchers are global leaders in their field, but the department wanted to achieve a modern and approachable feel for students, donors, and faculty.
Solution
User experience design In the UX phase, we developed a sitemap for the website redesign with clear entry points for the user groups. During wireframing, we created templates that elevated important information, allowed users to accomplish goals quickly, but would also be flexible for site expansion. Accessible website design During the website design, Ellery created a wonderfully approachable and fun color palette. An innovative approach to imagery on the homepage and subpages completed the picture. Website Design For this website redesign, we created 2 design options exploring different color palettes, typography, and look and feel approaches. It was a tough choice but the Chem team selected an option and after a couple of iterations, we finalized the website design. Responsive layouts for all the page templates were designed and approved before starting the website development. We truly care about creating accessible websites. From the architecture to website design and development, we focus on many aspects of accessibility. We made sure that the MIT Chemistry website is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all audiences by choosing colors with sufficient contrast, guiding content strategy, developing the code with a clean structure, and other methods. We also worked with the MIT accessibility team to test the site for accessibility.
Results
From start to finish, working with Opus on a total website redesign was nothing short of a pleasure. We had an ambitious deadline, and they kept us on track while being a great source of support. The Opus team was extremely thoughtful, responsive, patient and visionary throughout the process, and truly revitalized our site in a manner that was highly creative and efficient.
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