The survey tested 3 website design concepts for Union College with prospective students. Concept 1 "Thinking in Action" was the most popular, receiving the highest ratings. It conveyed that Union offers hands-on learning and activities. Concept 2 "There's More Than One Union" provided the most information but was seen as too similar to other colleges. Concept 3 "Union is You+" had some supporters but also detractors who couldn't explain their opinions. The recommendation is to move forward with Concept 1 while adding more academic photos.

1. Union College Web Concept Survey Results m Stoner

7. Survey Results m Stoner

17. Recommendation m Stoner

18. Our Recommendation m Stoner We recommend moving forward with the “Thinking in Action” concept . In addition to being the most broadly popular of the three designs and coming in first or a strong second in almost all of the message categories, it was identified by almost 60 percent of the survey participants as the design that most set Union apart from other liberal arts colleges . The only change we would recommend is one that was always planned: supplementing the existing photos and captions with more traditionally academic and student life-focused photos as well. It is worth mentioning that “There’s More Than One Union” did poll very well with sophomores, as well as with the handful of parents who took the survey. In general, they liked the amount of information on the page and the personal connection with students, or to put it another way, they liked the “well-rounded information about well-rounded students.” These are the very attributes, however, that made other viewers think this design was the most similar to other liberal arts colleges. This concept is a safe choice, but the least distinctive. Though “Union is You +” had its partisans, they were less able to put their finger on why they liked it. We suspect it may be because it split the difference between the other two designs, containing a bit more of the drama and visual draw of “Thinking in Action” and a bit more of the information of “There’s More Than One Union.” Similarly, those that didn’t like it couldn’t really say why. They just didn’t like it.