It is difficult to eclipse the University of Michigan in size and performance. Whether it is the number of people on the Ann Arbor campus (58,000), or the number of living alumni—“Wolverines”—still connected to the University (460,000), Michigan can steamroll the crème de la crème of the private Ivies. As the birthplace of the Peace Corps and the training ground for the entire Apollo 15 crew, the Wolverines pride themselves as being the “Leaders and Best”.

When the best in higher education wanted to redevelop their admissions web presence, to make the user experience best in class, they came to us. Michigan wanted three tasks—inquire, visit, and apply—easy to complete for key audiences. While streamlining these tasks is the right thing to do, with over 30,000 phone calls a year and a similar number of applications submitted, our job was monumental. It was critical that the 1.5 million annual visitors found what they were looking for, and the website converted visitor inquiries into action.

Employing industry best practices, we developed a website showing Michigan’s personality and strengths. This site allows individuals to find the information they are looking for with ease; uses analytics to measure results and user experience; and showcases the Block M which represents all that the University of Michigan brand has to offer.

In our panoptic approach, our team carried out integral web design processes such as discovery, architecture, and usability testing; creative concept development, testing, designing, and writing; and social media workshops.

Analytics benchmarking and communication sequence mapping were part of our comprehensive plan. Our collaborative meetings and insights resulted in a change in the organizational structure; a review of overall communication process; and a strategic evaluation of how content was being gathered and shared.