I was talking with someone yesterday that is involved directly with the current selection process of the three final proposed "looks" of the ncsu front page. The third one, though it might not look it, each picture is interactive. Some are videos, some are pictures and they are grouped. When you mouseover 1 it shows the other in comparison. Personally I think the first one rocks. Most of the comments so far are for the 1st one with the 3rd one close behind. The 2nd one just doesn't seem to grab many likers.

So why post comments? After speaking with him, they are actually reading the comments and bringing up valid points people make about the pages in the meetings. It really has an effect.

http://ncsu.edu/redesign/blog/

Design 1:http://ncsu.edu/redesign/blog/uploaded_images/06_10_23_REVISED_HOME_01-700916.jpg

Design 2:http://ncsu.edu/redesign/blog/uploaded_images/06_10_23_REVISED_HOME_02-712045.jpg

Design 3:http://ncsu.edu/redesign/blog/uploaded_images/06_11_01_REVISED_HOME_03a-722601.JPG

11/28/2006 8:13:52 AM

Yeah, the first one is probably the best one. I like it.

11/28/2006 8:49:51 AM

The 1st one is by far the best, but they're all really great.

I like 1st, 3rd, and 2nd best, in that order.

BUT, you gotta get that girl off the 1st one...she's like "WTF BIOLOGY?!"

11/28/2006 8:51:41 AM

Right now a lot of administration is pulling for the 3rd.This is basically going to decide the format and design of the entire website so post those comments!

11/28/2006 9:18:40 AM

i like 1 and 3
prbly 3 the best b/c its more aesthetically appealing

11/28/2006 9:31:27 AM

Yeah, first one gets my vote.

Oh, and

Quote :

"BUT, you gotta get that girl off the 1st one...she's like "WTF BIOLOGY?!""

11/28/2006 9:41:40 AM

Quote :

"BUT, you gotta get that girl off the 1st one...she's like "WTF BIOLOGY?!""

No worse than the "I'm so happy I'm getting out of here I'm crying at my graduation" dude


My vote is for 3, 2, 1 - unless they change the pic every day or something, then its 3, 1, 2.

11/28/2006 9:50:54 AM

Number 2 is the best. It's simple and slightly elegant and has basic topline navigation. Seriously, putting stuff like "Current Students" "prospective students" "Faculty" etc along the side is misguided and they should rethink that. For that reason, number 3 is the worst.

11/28/2006 9:51:35 AM

I'm guessing people like the first one because it has more pictures and color. It does look nice at first glance , but the scheme is way too busy and the order of the different sections and links are poor. There are over a dozen different sections! It has a Times Square look to it. This isn't good.

I would probably choose the 3rd one, but would make the "By the numbers" section less prominent. The organization of the 3rd seems to be the most intuitive to me.

11/28/2006 10:01:51 AM

^^ They all have those "current students" links on the side. What make #3 the worst? Are you saying get rid of them all together or put them at the top? #2 ranks pretty close to #3 for me. #1 is horrid.

11/28/2006 10:06:49 AM

#1 is the sexiest

and we are all about sexy research at State right?


3 is practical...maybe if you could integrate some of the vividness of #1 with the functionality of 3

[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 10:14 AM. Reason : .]

11/28/2006 10:08:07 AM

I like the concept of the 3rd one, but not so much the look. Maybe apply the style of the first one to the 3rd one's concept.

11/28/2006 10:16:55 AM

i like 1.

Many web designers don't use big high quality pictures anymore on the front page. would like to see more of that and less content.

11/28/2006 10:44:09 AM

i like the concept of the 3rd one, but not as the home page

it'd work for the prospective students page though

so i'd vote for the 1st

oh and

Quote :

"BUT, you gotta get that girl off the 1st one...she's like "WTF BIOLOGY?!""

11/28/2006 10:54:08 AM

^ that's a common theme among the comments. Most people like #1, but they like the cool concept of #3. They want to combine #1 and #3.

Very very few people like #2. The majority like it because of it's functionality but that's not what the site is only about.

1) Attract the audiences you want (Students, Researchers, Local Businesses etc). It's not about just information but the display of information

2) Ease of finding information. Right now NCSU and most colleges are going through a redesign processes to figure out their organization structure. Before it was like just put it on the menu, now it's deciding how deep things should be. Sub projects for a department should never be on the main menu unless they are getting tons of hits. When it's all said and done that nasty monster menu NCSU currently has will be going bubye.

3) Show the identity of what NC State is as a whole, not just one persons outlook. Not all colleges are like this within NC State but a majority of them are all hands on, get your hands dirty (literally in some sense) and that has been grossly unshown on NC States page.

4) Sell our brand. Most people don't realize that Centennial Campus is almost as large as main campus now and the businesses that are there offer tremendous opportunities for students to get real world experience while taking classes. Engineering, textiles, chemistry, comp sci, etc. We want people to look at NC State and see a HUGE diversity of majors with hard to find chances at education and learning! Also we want people to know how alive the student life at NC state is. Organizations, groups, events, etc. The active community that is NC State.

So why is #1 appealing to so many people? It's the focus on the person in the picture. What is she doing? She's doing something hands on, she's really working with things. It's not a typical classroom environment. That's the first thing you see besides the zit on her forehead (laughs). She looks normal, just like you and me. The other two just don't have that focus and aren't as personable.

11/28/2006 10:55:25 AM

NO to #3. The tab-style buttons on the left side are no good. And I can't tell from the screenshot, but are all the little thumbnails links to something (indication from the "new" tags on some of them that they are supposed to be links)? If so, that's a terrible idea - a bad case of "mystery meat navigation".


Whichever one is picked, what's the plan to roll out a consistent design across the whole university? Right now, the departments are a hodgepodge of poorly designed and integrated individual sites. Very unprofessional.

11/28/2006 10:57:20 AM

1st is best.

11/28/2006 11:04:58 AM

#1 - sucks - WAY too crowded
#2 - FTW - it's clean and clear
#3 - not as bad as everyone says - is MUCH better that #1

11/28/2006 11:05:43 AM

I want to go back to the days where I can turn the damn belltower red

11/28/2006 11:11:33 AM

Quote :

"It's not about just information but the display of information "

less is more.

11/28/2006 11:14:10 AM

i like #3

11/28/2006 11:48:30 AM

The new ncsu.edu is being built for prospective students, more than currents students and/or alumni.

#2 is actually my favorite, because it's cleaner than the others.

I'm just wondering how they all load.

11/28/2006 2:14:34 PM

#2 is the best

clean, easy to navigate, easy on the eyes, does not look cramped

#1 is way too top heavy with those large bulky graphics.

Seriously, #1 and #3 do not look half as professional as #2. I should not even waste time considering #3, the bulky navigation blocks take up too much space - I thought these kinds of things went "out" several years ago.

11/28/2006 2:22:13 PM

#2

11/28/2006 2:22:37 PM

number 1 would make the best home page or something, but its way too crowded for potential students

11/28/2006 2:33:24 PM

^ actually most prospective students found it extremely easy to find what they needed when asked about #1.

Don't forget to leave your "informed" opinion about the webpage on the blog. This is one of those situations where you are heard.

EDIT: I've gotten a few PM's about my involvement with this. I'm not at all. However I am involved with the redesign of the Vet Schools website which will attempt to mimic the look and feel of what NC State chooses as their homepage. So while I have as much say as you do, it effects me directly.


[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 2:39 PM. Reason : !]

11/28/2006 2:36:32 PM

i wanna know why there are orange elements on the pages.

honestly i think the pages were poorly done.

11/28/2006 2:41:50 PM

and I can't turn the belltower red.

11/28/2006 3:09:03 PM

I LIKE THREE CAUSE ITS IN ENGLISH!!!1

11/28/2006 3:11:37 PM

My vote is #1, #2 and #3 look too cluttered for first-time / infrequent visitors, which is the focus of the frontpage. Keep in mind, this is ONLY the frontpage ... the eye candy of sorts. Managing how an audience navigates from there is another step / process. I'm not an expert on web standards, but I think there's a rule of "3 clicks or forget it" for finding information.

Quote :

"Right now NCSU and most colleges are going through a redesign processes to figure out their organization structure."

Recent redesign completion of http://www.vt.edu is VERY similar to prototypes shown here.

[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]

11/28/2006 3:19:44 PM

i like the third one, but whats with the old guy with his eyes closed?

11/28/2006 3:38:35 PM

2

11/28/2006 4:34:42 PM

man i hope they dont change it much...honestly, state has probably one of the best webpages of any school i've ever looked at, IMO(for those that will be negative nancys)

11/28/2006 4:36:02 PM

2, 1, 3.

and 1260-1410?

bravo ncsu.

11/28/2006 4:43:42 PM

^they raised the total you can get on the SAT to above 1600, if thats what you are talking about

11/28/2006 4:48:26 PM

1.

11/28/2006 4:51:15 PM

1 was very nice, 2 bored me, but when i opened 3 i was like "WOW!"

i really like 3...all the small pictures of students and faculty instead of just the one. the layout, it's just really appealing. good job whoever did 3!

11/28/2006 4:58:25 PM

get 1 up ASAP plz

11/28/2006 4:59:07 PM

Definitely #1 IMO.

11/28/2006 5:03:49 PM

I don't think it should say "Get A Student Life," that just sounds horrid. It should be "Become Part of Student Life" or something to that effect.

11/28/2006 5:22:21 PM

Between applying for college and taking summer courses at other colleges I've found that State has about the easiest webpage to find any information on that ive used. as long as that doesnt change im happy

11/28/2006 5:24:03 PM

i like one w/ the exception of the picture... poor girl looks utterly dumbfounded.

11/28/2006 5:31:08 PM

2,1,3


2 is the plainest, but conveys the most without being all over the place

1 is a little too much

3 just looks bad. Like some Askjeeves.ncsu.edu shit.

11/28/2006 5:39:51 PM

I don't like any of them, honestly. What really pisses me off is that they keep moving the fucking links around.

11/28/2006 5:44:21 PM

i'm quasi-involved in this thing and i must say that #3 is growing on me

but yeah, i'll always love the site from 1998

http://web.archive.org/web/19980131061058/http://www.ncsu.edu/index.html

(takes a bit to load, and it's a little gitchy, it's the http://archive.org archive version)

11/28/2006 7:03:31 PM

I like the black girl in the first

11/28/2006 7:10:38 PM

^^ that was the best one, because it was simple and it fucking WORKED

[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 8:13 PM. Reason : 2]

11/28/2006 8:13:40 PM

Quote :

"I don't like any of them, honestly. What really pisses me off is that they keep moving the fucking links around."

Yup, pretty much.

11/28/2006 8:21:18 PM

so when is this thing going to be done?

i need to redesign a university webpage and would like to make it mesh well if possible

11/29/2006 1:24:29 AM

It's all pretty busy, to me. They all tie. The fruity colors #2 is why its getting rated lower than the others. Fix that, and I would like it the most.

Big meh all around. Make them simpler looking.

[Edited on November 29, 2006 at 1:40 AM. Reason : sdf.]

11/29/2006 1:37:43 AM