Dean College Announces the Launch of Newly Redesigned Website

May 15, 2019 marked the culmination of countless hours spent over the past two years to launch the College’s redesigned website, www.dean.edu. With this new site, visitors will find a more modern design with fresh content, along with an improved experience for mobile users. 

The project convened after the agency partner, Baltimore-based Fastspot, was selected. Phase one included discovery meetings, several focus groups and a content audit of the old site, drastically decreasing the number of pages to provide a better user experience. 

Phase two began when the development site was delivered to the College. With a beautiful blank canvas to work on, project team members, led by the Office of Marketing and Communications, were tasked with writing copy, selecting photos, adding content blocks, callouts, videos and media galleries, all while addressing accessibility concerns. Additional components included inputting redirects and vanity URLs to the new CMS.

The website was designed with prospective students in mind, creating a clear way for those students and their families to learn more about Dean’s wide range of academic programs, support services, the admissions process and life after Dean. 

Current students will find pages showcasing campus amenities, activities and the lively culture on campus. Alumni will find resources on how to get involved with their alma mater, including notifications about upcoming events and how to donate and connect with fellow alums.  

Key features of the site include:

• A responsive interface that engages visitors on a multitude of devices, providing an optimal user experience on laptops and desktops, phones and tablets.
• Landing pages dedicated to educating prospective students and their families on topics of importance, including:
  • A section dedicated to cost and aid so that families can better understand the financial aid process.
  • A section dedicated to student support and student outcomes, highlighting The Dean Difference.
• The site was designed with accessibility at the forefront. The College used WCAG 2.0 as a technical standard, allowing for an improved experience for all users. 

Explore the new site. 

What do you think of the new site? Share your feedback here. 

Did You Know? 

• Dean College’s last redesign launched in 2013
• The College selected BigTree CMS, an extensible open source CMS built on PHP and MySQL