EDU Snippits

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Has a page footer that allows...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:40:21 -0400

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Has a page footer that allows the user to share and create a short URL with a single click.

The Michigan State University online giving...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:22:50 -0500

The Michigan State University online giving email receipt includes a link at the bottom to pre-populate a repeat gift with one click.

Background: The decision to add this link was backed by research about their donors.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale - Moves page elements...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:05 -0500

Southern Illinois University Carbondale - Moves page elements out of the way when the user clicks to expand a menu that would normally cover it up.

Vancouver Film School - Has a visually rotating centerpiece area...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:05:06 -0500

Vancouver Film School - Has a visually rotating centerpiece area that can be collapsed to a single line. Collapsing this area doesn’t make the promotions go away but instead just shows each promotion title as it rotates through them. Once the area is collapsed it stays collapsed throughout the entire website visit.

The New School - Uses a sticker to call a huge amount of...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:47:17 -0400

The New School - Uses a sticker to call a huge amount of attention to the video on their homepage. Not sure if it’s the best way to get clicks but it definitely works.

Stanford University School of Education - Doesn’t just...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:00:00 -0400

Stanford University School of Education - Doesn’t just switch out the background color on menu hover and selection but instead uses a glow effect. It isn’t overbearing and doesn’t distract from the other elements on the site. It does what it needs to do elegantly and gets out of the way.

Bay State College - Hides the student quick links in a drawer at...

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:05:00 -0400

Bay State College - Hides the student quick links in a drawer at the top of the page. Once the drawer opens though it isn’t just a boring list of links. They take care to limit the options to eight and each one has a large area and image to click. It makes “quick links” actually useful and fun to use.

Edge Hill University - Has a mega menu but uses the space to...

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:00:06 -0400

Edge Hill University - Has a mega menu but uses the space to give personality to each of the major menu items. It isn’t just a huge list of links but a way for the visitor to feel emotion with each area they explore.

University of Maryland - Has a normal homepage image rotator but...

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:05:00 -0400

University of Maryland - Has a normal homepage image rotator but the image selector is integrated in to the design of the site nicely. It isn’t just a bunch of circles or squares on top of the image but looks like part of the design and is actually useful.

Rhode Island School of Design - Uses every pixel of the browser...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:00:00 -0400

Rhode Island School of Design - Uses every pixel of the browser to engage the visitor with art and action items. The page is also completely resizable based on the visitors viewpoint.

Just try to resize your browser and watch the page adjust.

University of California - Uses a unique way to list their...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:00:05 -0400

University of California - Uses a unique way to list their “top links”, what I am assuming are their most popular pages. It doesn’t just list them but uses a graph to show their relative popularity.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Has elegantly handled a...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:00:05 -0400

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Has elegantly handled a “named school” on their homepage by making the name small enough to read but elegant enough to give credit to the person. This makes the list scannable while still giving credit where credit is due, something a lot of higher ed institutions struggle with.

Cal State Monterey Bay - Uses “top links” as sub...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:00:06 -0400

Cal State Monterey Bay - Uses “top links” as sub menu items from the main menu. They are above the main menu items instead of below like most websites.

Northwest Nazarene University - Uses a combination of techniques...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:00:05 -0400

Northwest Nazarene University - Uses a combination of techniques used at other institutions to create a single microsite that has user generated content, long pages with a static top menu and interesting photography.

It got me to click around and explore more than I thought I would.

Earlham College - Uses texture to take a typical interface and...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:00:05 -0400

Earlham College - Uses texture to take a typical interface and make it feel rich and physical.

University of Limerick - Mega menu texture gives the feeling of...

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:00:05 -0400

University of Limerick - Mega menu texture gives the feeling of a solid surface. It doesn’t feel like you are interactive with a menu, but more of an interface.

I really like that MIT has taken the “Staples”...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:00:06 -0400

I really like that MIT has taken the “Staples” approach with their twitter account by being transparent and identifying who is tweeting and when. Calling the team the “sloan rangers” is very cute.

via @MalloryWood

University of Indianapolis - Doesn’t overwhelm their...

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:00:00 -0400

University of Indianapolis - Doesn’t overwhelm their visitors with all the upcoming events but instead uses dots to denote an event on each day. Clicking on a day reveals the list of events in the same area without refreshing the page.

Belmont University - Uses a tooltip to direct the visitor to...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:10:00 -0400

Belmont University - Uses a tooltip to direct the visitor to hidden content which uses non-traditional navigation. You can't guarantee the user knows what will happen when arrows are clicked.

University of Michigan-Flint - Has a 404 page that is both...

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:06:58 -0400

University of Michigan-Flint - Has a 404 page that is both useful and entertaining. It’s something to smile about if you happen to stumble across it. It is unfortunate when things like that happen but when they do it’s nice to add a little delight. Great job.