Designing VisComm Website: Ideate

The ideation stage of this project played a crucial role in our process. During this phase, our goal was to translate our concepts into sketches and design layouts to better visualize the potential improvements for the University of Oklahoma’s Visual Communication website. Although this stage presented some challenges due to group absences from illness, which made it more difficult to stay on schedule, we were still able to produce strong research and thoughtful design ideas through our sketches and concepts.

To begin this stage, we created a creative matrix composed of “How Might We…” questions. These questions were developed from insights gathered during our interviews and focused on areas we wanted to improve. For example, one of our questions was, “How might we highlight the student perspective of the program for prospective students?” Each group member contributed ideas to address this, such as incorporating student testimonials and quotes about the program, showcasing classroom images to emphasize the program’s sense of community, and organizing this content under a dedicated “Student” tab. After brainstorming, we reviewed all our proposed solutions and voted on the strongest ideas. Once this step was completed, we moved on to developing our sitemap.

When developing our sitemap, we aimed to incorporate the strongest solutions from our “How Might We…” questions. These ideas served as the foundation for our sitemap structure. We began by outlining the main tabs we felt would be most beneficial for the final website, using them to determine the type of content and information under each section.

The first tab, “About,” will feature a program overview, a link to the degree plan, and images of students in the classroom. It will also include a “Visual Communication News” section to highlight updates and achievements within the program. The next tab, “Student Work,” will showcase current student projects, alumni work, and testimonials from students about their experiences in the program. Following that, the “Faculty” tab will provide contact information for professors, along with brief bios that highlight their professional backgrounds, areas of expertise, and courses they teach. The “Application” tab will serve incoming students by outlining the application process, offering helpful degree information, and providing direct access to the application itself. The “Program” tab will include the degree plan—organized by semester—along with technology and software requirements, and a section outlining recommended skills to help prospective students assess their fit for the program. Finally, the “FAQ” tab will address common questions and clarify any potentially confusing information about the program.

From the sitemap, we began bringing our ideas to life through sketches. This step was especially valuable, as it allowed us to visualize the overall design of our website and assess how effectively it could support the goals of the program. We developed several strong concepts, and I’m excited to see how these ideas will ultimately translate into the final website design.

Although our group encountered some challenges, I believe this stage of the project was incredibly valuable. Through extensive research, I’ve gained greater confidence in my design decisions and how they will contribute to the website’s overall success. Visualizing how our research informs the website’s design has provided me with a stronger sense of direction and excitement for the outcome. I also feel that I’ve grown significantly as a designer throughout this process. This experience has shown me just how essential thorough research is to achieving a successful final design—our project truly wouldn’t have been as strong without it.