Who

MIT Housing, responsible for managing the Institute's undergraduate, graduate, summer, guest and visitor housing

Why

Housing's aging website was sprawling, difficult to use, and difficult to maintain. Prospective students and their families couldn't easily find information about on- and off-campus housing options, leading to confusion and stress from both the students trying to get answers to their questions, and a staff overtaxed from solving problems a better website could address.

Wow

We interviewed MIT students to get a sense of what was most important to them, and discovered that undergraduates valued tactical information, such as deadlines and forms, while graduate students sought advice on where to live. Based on our research and wireframe testing, we recommended a cleaner structure with deadlines presented in-context throughout, more straightforward content, and a visual design that emphasized readability while providing a sense of place. Our research and overall project management guided the site development through every step of the process, including content development (Kathy and Robert Thurston-Lighty), visual design (Moore Moscowitz Design), and production (Indigo Digital) of both the public website and an MIT-only off-campus housing search site.