Columbia University Health
We built custom, add-on functionalities for the new Columbia Health website.
The Campus Services team, the owner of the Columbia Health website, reached out to the Columbia Sites team in need of a major revamp. The existing web pages at the time were difficult to navigate, and there was virtually no mobile device functionality. Columbia Health's main goal is to help students stay mentally and physically well, and so it's crucial for the website to be user friendly, with easy and comprehensive access to information and services. It was clear the student user experience was in dire need of an upgrade.
To get from the old website design (above) to the revamped website design, we began with research, which included user interviews, a qualitative survey, comparative analysis and benchmark testing.
We found that information about services was difficult to find, it wasn't easy to schedule an appointment and it wasn't clear when clinics were open.
We then led design-thinking workshops, where students, stakeholders and department staff participated in brainstorming sessions. Our workshop findings reinforced what we'd discovered from our survey responses and benchmark user tests:
All in all, the services content was too robust and difficult to navigate.
Comprehensive user testing brought to light additional user upgrades, which included easy access to emergency information and secure messaging at the top of the page.
Location, office hours and how to schedule an appointment are now easily visible in the sidebar on individual service pages, next to descriptions.
Furthermore, the new upgraded website features a consistent mega menu for easy navigation, a comprehensive listing of services offered with rich taxonomy, an upgraded homepage and departmental landing pages.
The top requested services (I feel sick, I have questions about insurance, etc.) are now highlighted in a section on the homepage titled “How Can We Help You?”
