The Water School Redesign
Transforming FGCU’s newest academic unit into a high-performing, student-focused digital experience that supports water sciences, improves usability, and enhances organic search.
Discovery & Context
Context:
The Water School (TWS) recently transitioned from under the College of Arts & Sciences to an independent school, resulting in years of legacy content and inconsistent structure.
The university’s strategic push toward water-focused sciences gave TWS increased visibility, but its site was bloated and difficult to use.
Our primary goals:
- Increase degree program inquiries and applications
- Improve user communication (student-to-department contact).
- Streamline site navigation and content structure.
Enhance SEO and improve organic traffic.
Constraints:
- 58 pages of legacy content and outdated components.
- Existing CMS limitations.
10+ web editors with various practices.
User Research & Strategy
GA4 Analytics (Pre-launch) Averages:
Bounce Rate: 33.99%
Engagement Rate: 66.00%
Session Duration: 2:36
Methods Used:
Reviewed analytics data.
Conducted stakeholder interviews (faculty and department leaders).
Reviewed heatmaps and scroll data.
Key Insights:
Content was hard to find and buried under many pages.
Redundant and outdated information caused distrust.
Degree and advising information lacked clarity.
| Timeframe | Views | Total users | Engagement Rate | Bounce Rate | Avg. Session Duration |
| Aug 2024 - May 2024 | 34,757 | 21,789 | 66.00% | 33.99% | 2 min 36 sec |
Information Architecture & Content Strategy
Site Restructure:
Consolidated 62 pages → 28 core pages.
Centralized & grouped content: Degrees, Faculty, About, Research, Departments.
Navigation Strategy:
Eliminated “empty step” pages (e.g. pathway landing pages).
Grouped program information under centralized Degree site.
Created single Faculty/Staff directory page with smart accordion linking (anchored accordions).
UX Content Examples:
- Introduced clear defined headings for end-user and for SEO crawling & ADA compliance.
Each degree page includes:
About
Who Should Apply
Program Specs
Student Profiles
Info Request Form (faculty-routed)
URL Structure Examples – For SEO Purposes:
fgcu.edu/degrees/bachelor/environmental-geology
fgcu.edu/degree/master/environmental-science-ms
Previously used acronyms: fgcu.edu/thewaterschool/departments/mes/enviroscims/
UI Design & Accessibility
Design Goals:
Reflect the scientific and regional focus on water and environment.
Balance academic professionalism with visual appeal.
Support storytelling modules (e.g. Marine Science Camp, Kimberly’s Reef).
- Move to modern components and layouts that users are familiar with. (Uniformity)
- Update graphics and videos to reflect new building and initiatives.
ADA & Usability Enhancements:
High-contrast palette, scalable text.
Clean, flexible grid layout.
Mobile-first responsive templates.
UI Features:
Degree dropdown prioritized on homepage.
Card-based layout for Centers and Programs.
Pop-up Info Forms tied to program-specific faculty.
Homepage After
Homepage Before
Outcomes & Impact
Engagement Gains:
Overall site engagement up 35.62%.
100% of pages showed reduced bounce rate.
Degree pages saw engagement gains despite -13%* in page views.
*Until other University program pages move under the degrees site, the new site structure may hurt views.
Traffic Metrics:
Total Users: ↑ 27.86%
Views: ↑ 20.11%
User Behavior:
Degree dropdowns are most-clicked homepage elements.
Full-page scrolls indicate content was well-consumed.
Flipbook and News have low engagement → candidate for future refinement.
Top Performing Pages (by Users):
The Water School Homepage (6,622 users)
Marine Science BS
Environmental Studies BA
Session Duration:
Highest: Environmental Science MS (4:08)
Lowest: Geology Minor (1:21)
Overall Performance Comparison
| Timeframe | Views | Total users | Engagement Rate | Bounce Rate | Avg. Session Duration |
| Aug 2024 - May 2024 | 34,757 | 21,789 | 66.00% | 33.99% | 2 min 36 sec |
| May 2024 - Jan 2025 | 41,748 | 27,859 | 89.51% | 10.49% | 2 min 40 sec |
| % Change | 20.11% | 27.86% | 35.62% | -69.14% | 2.23% |
Performance Comparison by Pages Categories
| Page Categories | Views % change | Total Users % change | Engagement Rate % change | Bounce Rate % change | Avg. Session Duration % change |
| Degree Pages | -13.82% | -10.91% | 45.24% | -73.76% | 0.83% |
| TWS Primary Pages | 109.52% | 151.69 | 38.36% | -60.46% | 18.46% |
| Department Pages | -29.36% | -22.90% | 38.68% | -73.88% | -12.25% |
| Centers | 101.54% | 84.12% | 21.05% | -57.95 | -1.10% |
All visuals created by Mike Rechkemmer @ Isle of Skye, UK