NCSSM.edu Redesign

Background and Problem Statement

NCSSM.edu is the digital gateway to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and its primary brand statement. The site is a vital component of the institution’s communications strategy; for many, the site will be the first experience and interaction with NCSSM.

The current website was designed and launched in 2015 and the new site will launch in September 2022. A user research study conducted in June 2020 showed that our users expect to find information, resources, and pathways to their desired destinations. The current website was designed and launched in November 2015, and the new site will launch in September 2022. A user research study conducted in June 2020 showed that though our users expect to find information, resources, and pathways to their desired destinations, they are overwhelmed with the massive navigation menu and a search function that doesn’t work as expected. Additionally, the CMS severely restricts the design options for editors so that it is hard to maintain consistency and accessibility across the site.

We are seeking an agency partner to design and build a new first-class, modern NCSSM.edu website. The new NCSSM.edu website will be WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessible and beautifully designed. The current site was built on Apostrophe CMS version 0.5; we expect the new site to be built on either the latest version of Craft or WordPress.

Through intuitive navigation, the new website will help diverse audiences understand the institution’s multi-campus structure and easily find their way to other NCSSM sites while showcasing fresh and engaging content that aligns with key institutional priorities and reinforces the brand identity and promise.

Scope

1. Have a modern, accessible, modular, user-centric design.

   1. Branded templates with flexible designs to be used in microsites.

   2. A web style guide for editors with options for layouts and instructions for maintaining ADA compliance.

2. Improve Navigation.

   1. Simpler navigation structure that accommodates multiple campuses.

   2. Improve search functionality.

3. Engage prospective students, families, donors, and teachers through interactive content.

   1. A dynamic, intuitive, and visually appealing homepage.

   2. A detailed content strategy for pages, news, blog entries, events, and other content.

   3. An SEO/Marketing strategy with performance indicators to increase conversions (ie. donations, registrations by prospective students and families or teachers, new applicants).

4. Implement a new, user-friendly Content Management System.

   1. A scalable, fast-loading, secure multisite installation.

   2. A great authoring experience with granular permissions.

   3. A solid support structure to resolve issues (i.e. development community, dedicated support from firms).

   4. An events module integrated with Google Calendar.

   5. An advanced form module to build registration forms for both physical and digital events.

Not in scope:

• Changes to the NCSSM brand identity.

• Internal network for employees, students, and parents. This will be handled through the MyNCSSM Updates Project.

Milestones and deadlines

Reference materials

• Website RFP