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The University of Michigan Business School web site redesign project was a collaboration
between the School's development team and Diamond
Bullet Design, Inc. The project was initiated in an effort to better serve the
Business School's constituents, encompassing not only an updated visual design but also
a user-centered interface, reorganization of the over 3000 web pages on the site, and
seamless integration of the School's internal and external sites.
This effort required the participation of the many business and academic units of the
School as well as volunteers to test the design. The site was designed using an
iterative process that allowed us to test multiple versions of the site on actual users.
By the time the final site was launched, about 200 people related to the Business School
tested the site and provided feedback that was incorporated into the design.
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The site was designed with the goals of delivering visual impact, usability, and
technical functionality. Keeping in mind the tasks of the many distinct end-user groups
helped us to make sure that user tasks could be accomplished effectively. This meant
ensuring that Michigan students, alumni, faculty and staff could use the School's web
resources more effectively. In addition, the site serves the Business School's
important external constituents, such as prospective students, media, and recruiters.
Efficiency was not the only goal, however. We wanted the Michigan Business School
web site to be pleasing to use as well. End-user delight is the result of many factors
combined, including visual design that reflects the school's prestige, interaction design
that is intuitive to even the first-time user, and web site functionality that is never
in doubt.
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