Visitors to Trinity University’s website will see the school in a whole new light, thanks to a complete website overhaul that launched today.
The redesign happened in conjunction with a university brand refresh, including a new logo. Read the brand story here.
“The brand refresh was our opportunity to design a digital experience to support discovery and storytelling,” said Stephanie Enoch, director of digital strategy in Strategic Communications and Marketing (SCM). “The infrastructure and content strategy better equips our community to share the incredible work that is happening here everyday.”
The successful completion of the project marks a significant step forward for Trinity in the digital space. “The website is by far our most visible presence with more than 1.4 million unique visitors each year,” Enoch said. Her team worked with external partners on the design and development of the site, and everyone in SCM contributed to the implementation.
As a recruiting tool, the new design is student-centric, Enoch said, with more stories and anecdotes about the student experience, and more photos and videos of students and campus that show off the vibrant community and student engagement.
University websites are redesigned about every three to five years, Enoch said. It’s been six since Trinity’s last web overhaul. The new website architecture, navigation, and content were built to be AI-search-friendly as students and families increasingly rely on AI search results to research universities.
Enoch said the new website uses data analytics to better understand what visitors are looking for and to deliver clear, answer-based content that meets their needs. “The approach reflects how people increasingly search for information today,” she said. “They expect a complete, useful answer to the question or challenge in front of them, often before deciding whether to explore further. By reducing unnecessary text and making key information easier to scan, the site helps users quickly find what they need while still offering opportunities for a deeper dive.”
To organize the nearly 5,000 pages of information, Trinity’s web team worked with partners from across campus and created an advisory council that represented the perspectives, needs, and expectations of the university’s audiences. They also engaged students in the user experience class, led by Melissa McMullen, Ph.D., associate professor of communications. The students participated in audience workshops and completed surveys that informed key decisions around content strategy.
“Our guiding principle was to treat the redesign as like a symphony. There were many players contributing to the success, and it all came together beautifully. It was really a community effort,” Enoch said.
Academic information was arranged so prospective students and their families, as well as Trinity faculty and staff, can more easily explore majors, minors, student activities, and other information.
“The website is more than data, it’s an experience,” Enoch said. “Through a year-long process, we think we’ve provided an authentic experience for Trinity users and future users that not only tells them what they want to know, but conveys what it’s like to be part of our community, which is pretty terrific.”
A website is never truly finished, she said. “As the University builds momentum through its strategic plan, the website will continue to evolve alongside it, supporting Trinity’s growth, priorities, and forward-looking vision.”
Her team will soon turn their focus to refining the site by tracking key performance indicators that support consideration and conversion, while continuing to strengthen accessibility, navigation, and content strategy.
“The goal is to deliver the right information in the right place at the right time, whether visitors are exploring, gathering information, or taking an important next step in their journey,” Enoch said.