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&description=Touch Wonder Times Two!
When it was time for the Maryland Science Center (MSC) to rethink its current site, the organization turned to its web agency of record, The Berndt Group. We did the previous iteration of the site, which was live from 2005 - 2008. In 2008, the Science Center determined it needed to reach a more diverse group of audiences and rethink the site structure to better serve these varied audiences. The new site needed to focus brand and messaging to go beyond kids, encouraging broader audience participation among adults. The Science Center has grown to include a wide range of programming for a diverse group of audiences, and the site needed to reflect this. This presented three primary challenges for the redesign project: structuring the site in a logical and highly usable way; presenting large amounts of content in a way that is visually engaging; and appealing to a more universal audience. The previous site had more of a kid-focus and orientation. The site has also grown substantially in size in terms of pages of content, so we re-engineered the structure to accommodate a much larger volume of content. A primary goal of the redesign was to parse and organize MSC's business goals and translate them into a site architecture that caters best to MSC's primary audiences, while helping any given site visitor to find what they need at a glance. We created the best possible user experience for site audiences, by segmenting and balancing audiences, so that the overall access of users to information is improved and better serves the business goals of MSC. Additional, primary goals for the redesign included creating an easy editing paradigm for MSC staff, given the large volume of site content. Another key focus is generating new membership, encouraging online renewals and generating donations. MSC sought to increase its membership base and facilitate ticket purchases online. We paid particular attention to ensure that the new site is extremely usable for donors/members; it is important that this group have ready access to information so that the decision and purchasing process are completed quickly and efficiently. At the same time, the new site appeals to prospective visitors and educators, with a prominent section devoted to programming and events. Specific feature highlights include: sortable calendars by category and interest: the new Calendar page lets users sort by interest level and includes a Featured Event section; improved navigation and increased readability: check out new Exhibit pages with Exhibit highlight sections and scannable headlines; content managed Homepage Flash with up-to-date MSC happenings; and reformatted Showtime pages help users to better plan their visit. |
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