As part of our website redesign efforts, we have been asking our users about their experiences with the current site. One of our methods for doing so has been an online survey, the results of which we'll be sharing on this blog.
We're in the midst of break here at the Law School, but the website redesign work goes on. Here are the results of our survey of how current students use the Law School website and what they would like to see changed:
Almost half of those who responded to our survey were current students. Of those, over half were 3Ls, while around 30% were 2Ls and 17% were 1Ls. 48% visit the site at least once a day, and another 48% at least once per week.
Here are the primary reasons they visit the site:
- To find information on courses/academic requirements: 96%
- To find contact information for students, faculty, or staff:57%
- To get career services information: 39%
- To find information on events or workshops: 35%
- To find information on financial aid: 17%
Other reasons for visiting the site include: to download papers; to link to the library website; to view School policies, faculty bios, and student group info; and to make room reservations.
All the responding students said they were generally able to accomplish their goals for visiting site. However, several respondents mentioned some difficulty (many clicks, roundabout routes) in finding what they were looking for.
When asked what the best thing about the site was, many of the students mentioned the site's use of photography and the quotes from faculty members on the home page. One student described these as "welcoming but professional." Another strength mentioned often was the searchable course schedules, though some respondents wanted even more detail (whether a course would require a paper or an exam, for example).
The most often cited weakness of the site was navigation that is confusing and unintuitive, along with a sense that the site projects a "stuffy," "conservative" image of a school that is anything but.