- Take a look at St. Clair Colleges website. In relation to visuals, what would you propose to St. Clair College to improve/enhance this new website to effectively market to potential incoming local domestic students. Please provide three (3) recommendations and justify your answer with detailed reasoning. (9 Marks)
Some things that I would propose to St. Clair College to improve/enhance this new website to effectively market to potential incoming local domestic students are:
- Better Organize Content: One thing that I would propose to St. Clair College to improve/enhance its website to more effectively market to potential incoming local domestic students is to organize its content. When looking at the St. Clair website, I noticed that it looked cluttered and unorganized.
- Increased User Experience: One reason why I would recommend St. Clair College to better organize their content is because it will allow for overall better user experience and increased user experience as well. As previously discussed in class, if people have a hard time finding what they are looking for on your website, there is a greater chance of them choosing to leave, which is why I believe that by St. Clair College using a more organized layout in their website will allow users to more effectively navigate through it and therefore help in increasing the satisfaction of users.
- More Effectively Manage Content: A second reason I would recommend St. Clair College better organize the content on its website is that it will allow it to manage the information and other content on its website more effectively. St. Clair improving the taxonomy of their website will allow it to better organize and structure the content on their website, which will not only be helpful for users, but would also be helpful in St. Clair better updating the content on their website, since they will have a better and clearer understanding of where everything is and what they may not to change, add, or take away.
- Allow For Better Scalability: A third reason I would recommend St. Clair College to better organize the content, not its website, is that I believe that it would allow for better scalability. As discussed in class, people don’t read; they scan. So, St. Clair’s website is more organized and using an organized structure and techniques, such as using the F-Pattern on their website, will allow users to better process the information in front of them, and allow for better scalability.
- Use More Engaging Images: A second thing that I would propose to St. Clair College in relation to visuals to improve/enhance its website to market to potential incoming local domestic students more effectively is to use more images. Some reasons why I would recommend that St. Clair does this are:
- Increased Memorability: One reason I would recommend that St. Clair College incorporate more images on their website is that it will help increase memorability. As discussed in class, images stick in long-term memory far more effectively than words, which is why I would recommend that St. Clair College use more relevant images on its website. I would especially recommend that they do this by pairing images with content that is both relatable and relevant to the image that it is being paired with.
- Can Improve Comprehension: A second reason I would recommend that St. Clair College incorporate more images on their website is because it will also help to improve comprehension. Something important to understand about images is that they last. Knowing this, St. Clair College can use more images on its website, such as on pages about programs, because it will allow visitors to have a better understanding of what a certain program is about and better visualize what being in that program would be like.
- Can Better Capture Attention: As previously stated, people don’t read; they scan. Another reason why I would recommend St. Clair College they use more engaging images on its website, which will be able to better grab the attention of visitors, especially domestic students. Unlike just words alone, images can help people to better visualize things, so St. Clair, using more engaging images on their website, would be able to better grab the attention of visitors since visuals will stand out a lot more because they usually use more vivid colors and are far more compelling than just words alone.
- Include More Engaging Videos: A third thing that I would propose to St. Clair College in relation to visuals to improve /enhance its website to market to potential incoming local domestic students is to include more engaging videos. More specifically, I would recommend that St. Clair include more video content highlighting different services and parts of St. Clair College that many domestic students would find interesting.
- Can Help Increase Engagement: One reason why I would recommend that St. Clair College include more video content on its website is because it can help to increase engagement. As discussed in class, visual content, such as videos, usually receives more engagement from users than content that doesn’t include visuals. Understanding this, I would recommend that St. Clair College use more videos on its website that highlight different aspects of St. Clair College, such as its sportsplex or videos featuring many of St. Clair College’s different facilities.
- Can Motivate Consumers: A second reason why I would recommend that St. Clair College include more video content on its website is that it can help to motivate consumers. Instead of St. College just having a page filled with words explaining many of St. Clair Colleges different facilities that students have access to, including videos will allow domestic students to better comprehend the information in front of them and may even encourage them to feel more inclined to learn more about St. Clair College and the programs that it offers.
Can Trigger Emotions: A third reason why I would recommend that St. Clair College include more video content on its website is that it can trigger emotions. Something important to understand about visuals such as video content is that it can be dangerous because different people can interpret it in different ways, but when used effectively, it can be helpful for St. Clair College because it can help to create reactions and better engagement.
