Universiteit Twente
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UX and design for new website University of Twente
TRIMM is responsible for the new UX and design of the educational institution’s corporate website. The new website of the University of Twente is characterized by an improved navigation and the ‘less is more’ principle.
High Tech – Human Touch
The absence of a responsive design, a complicated navigation structure and outdated technology was the reason of the university to ask TRIMM to create a design in which the identity (High tech - Human Touch) is translated into an online experience. The objective of this case was: improve the profiling of our research and education, and clear communication to all target groups. That was the starting point for the development of the new website.
Maarten Mulder and Lasse Licht are responsible for the design trajectory from TRIMM. Maarten Mulder: “After the development of the (offline) branding by Studio Dumbar, we started to translate the branding into a framework for the website. A challenging job, given the amount of content and extensive sitemap.”
The first impression of the website is fantastic. The website has a clear and informal voice that fits well with the target group and is consistently implemented in all content.
CONTENT MONITOR FROM RELEVANCE.
A dynamic online environment
The website is designed on component based design. A content manager can choose between a number of components to build the pages. A component is a functionality such as an agenda or news item. “This design is ideal for websites with many pages. For the website of the University of Twente, which has an extreme large number of content managers, this is an efficient method” explains Lasse.
In some places, the website has ten levels in depth. “To keep the website user-friendly at all times and on mobile, we decided to build up the breadcrumb in the menu. A new piece of the menu appears every time, which makes it easy to navigate.”
A fun fact: the color of the website depends on the crowds on the campus. Maarten: “We developed software that translates images from a webcam to the crowds of the campus. The software counts the number of bicycles in the garage. This creates a dynamic online environment.” The two designers are satisfied with a successful first and second phase.
“It has been a successful project in collaboration with GriDD, Studio Dumbar and B-Lex. It was effective to work at the university for several days a week. Our physical presence at the University of Twente promoted the collaboration and the support in the internal organization. We are very proud!”
