School’s website redesigned to make information easier to find3 min read
Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 30, 2019 – The School of Dentistry’s website has been redesigned to help patients, prospective students and the general public more easily find information they need about the school.
Launched earlier this month, the new website is the first overhaul to the school’s web presence in more than five years.
Application programmer C.A. Cody and web designer Steve Kopera, from the school’s Dental Informatics unit, did a complete redesign and rewrite of all content, in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications team. The new site includes video, larger photos and a simplified navigation that works well on mobile devices as well as computer desktops. On average, the site receives 28,000 visitors each month looking for information on the school’s educational programs, patient care services, research activity and other news highlights.
The new design allows website visitors to search for information quickly, using key words related to their needs. For patients, it may be how to make an appointment, where to park when visiting the school or explanations of the various clinics and the services they offer. Admission requirements and other information pertinent to prospective dental students have been repackaged for ease of use. Dentists who refer patients to the dental school or, for example, need pathology reports, should also find the new site easier to navigate. Finding information about faculty, researchers and various departments, as well as contact information, has been streamlined.
“We developed the new site to help prospective students and patients find the information that is most important to them,” said Dan Bruell, Dental Informatics Manager for Web and Applications Development. “Studying how visitors used the previous site helped us design a better experience for these important audiences.”
Another important improvement in the redesign is the portion of the website devoted to the Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry, one of the only museums in the country dedicated to the history of dentistry. The museum’s portion of the new design highlights its searchable catalog of artifacts, documents recent acquisitions, and explains current and archived exhibits. A staff blog shares interesting parts of the collection and museum developments. The robust site also links to class photos of dental and dental hygiene students, along with graduation composite photos dating to the early days of the school and numerous other options designed to appeal to the general public and researchers interested in history.
“We are excited to share the museum’s rich collections and stories about the history of dentistry through this new, more visually exciting, mobile-friendly website,” said Museum Director Shannon O’Dell. “User stats have already surpassed expectations and more people are seeking out the museum than ever before.”
The entire dental school site was re-imagined over the last 18 months to better reflect the mission of the school – advancing health through education, service, research and discovery. “The U-M School of Dentistry has so many incredible assets and content that we want to showcase for web visitors,” said Ray Aldrich, Director of Marketing and Communications. “Whether it is the Sindecuse Museum with its outstanding collection of artifacts or the latest news about oral health research, the new site simplifies the pathways to this rich content.”
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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu. Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at dentistry.communications@umich.edu, or (734) 615-1971.