Official thought leadership

Scope

Website redesign, web development, predictive search functionality, keywords usability improvement, site optimization

Details

Falling into our lap as a referral, McGill University were looking to update their web experience for a more engaging and user friendly one. We partnered with our Northern branding friends Six Cinqueme as a robust Canadian presence in our team line up.
McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management founded Delve as the official thought leadership publication in 2019. Readers, viewers, and listeners access expert analysis and insight into today’s management challenges through articles and curated exchanges between Desautels and industry leaders.

Solution

We started with an in-depth discovery phase where we inteviewed the key stakeholders to establish the success metrics and see what pain points are there to solve. The key factors were usability, a more native integration of the podcast. Mobile use improvement as well as performance improvement.
But most crucial was that it had to connect well with the new printed magazine they were initiating.

Power of illustration and typography.

Smart keywords search function.

We spent significant time migrating keywords to utilize them for managing and navigating searches for relevant content.
We relied on beautiful illustrations from the print magazine to inspire an elevated web experience and bridge the gap between digital and printing press.

Unique treatment of the grid made the website standout from the competitors in the news and blog format. We designed it with the offset margins giving the content unique breathing space and balance.

“We need the website to feel complimentary in style to the newly published magazine. It has to be a branded, unified experience.”

- Rosalie Nardelli, Managing Editor

Results

Significantly increased load times, an improved website experience responsive to desktop and mobile with a refreshed design elevated the brand for a journey between digital and print media. Improving keyword and content structure amplified search usability. McGill rose the ranks, standing out as the industry’s leading news-based online platform. Read, listen, watch and engage.