August 11, 2017 | Technology

How Prospective Undergraduates Navigate Websites — and What They Expect From College Content

At Eastern Standard, we do a lot of work in the higher education space. And, as a firm that is passionate about user-centric design and content strategy, we've done a lot of research into the browsing behavior of prospective undergraduates: the digital natives who have very different expectations and habits from the previous generation. Here are a few high-level takeaways from some of our...

June 29, 2017 | Technology

Should You Upgrade to Drupal 8?

Drupal 8 has been out for quite a while now, and although it represents a major shift in architecture and signals the eventual phasing out of Drupal 7, we've seen a hesitance to adopt it. In this article, I've laid out some honest answers to how a Drupal 8 upgrade might affect you. BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER: This post is intended for folks who are already on Drupal 7 and wondering whether the...

March 29, 2017 | StrategyTechnology

Machine Learning and the Content Connection: What You Need to Know

You might be hearing a lot about how machine learning or "ML" is influencing how content creators think about SEO. Machine learning — the ability for computers to meaningfully interpret large volumes of data without being explicitly told exactly how to do so by a programmer — is changing a lot of the conversation around content creation on the web. If It Walks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck...

November 02, 2016 | DesignStrategyTechnology

Digital First - Rethinking the College Viewbook

Over the years, we have worked with many colleges and universities on a wide array of marketing materials, and we have found one common denominator when it comes to traditional student viewbooks: They tend to look and sound the same. The formulaic approach that so many colleges take to this printed brochure geared towards incoming students generally includes uninspired photography — students...

July 17, 2016 | Technology

What to Do If Your Website Is in Violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act

We've recently had an increase in the number of folks reaching out to us because they've received a legal notice stating that their website is in violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. We have quite a bit of experience with website accessibility and ADA compliance, especially in the higher education/university space, so I thought I'd put...

June 20, 2016 | StrategyTechnology

The Tall and the Short of Real Estate Websites: Portfolios vs. Microsites

Over the years, we’ve worked with a variety of large-scale commercial and residential real estate development, management, and architectural firms, all of which present an interesting challenge when it comes to website design: What is the best way to compile, present, and display myriad different properties offered under one online umbrella? The answer depends on the results the client is trying...

March 22, 2016 | Technology

Reach Inbox Zero with Google Inbox

If you use the Gmail mobile app and luckily manage to address every email in your inbox, you’re greeted with the following: “You’re all done!” says something about how Google views email. Taking that same view of treating email like tasks rather than conversations might get you to pristine Inbox Zero more often. Emails are distinctly different from verbal communication. When we talk to one...

January 21, 2016 | Technology

How Every Website in Higher Education Got Their Navigation Wrong

We’ve done quite a bit of research, user experience design, and web development in the higher education space, and it’s probably time I let you in on some secrets about how every college and university site has gotten it wrong in terms of menu and navigation structure. Repeat After Me: “The University Website Should Not Mirror the Organizational Chart” This seems like common sense, but colleges...

January 04, 2016 | Technology

5 Things You Need to Consider Before Embarking on a Startup or Building Your "Killer App"

We get a lot of requests and phone calls from people who want to build the next killer app or launch a startup around a website idea they have. Overall, this is a great thing. In fact, I like that I live in a time when technology has broken down barriers to entry and allowed ideas to become reality more practically than ever. And it gives me a sense of pride to know that I’m in a position to...

December 27, 2015 | Technology

Working With CKEditor Plugins in Drupal 7

Working with CKEditor plugins in Drupal 7 can be frustrating. Here are some things I learned while trying to get several CKEditor plugins to play nicely together in Drupal. The short version If you're looking for the quick and dirty version of what I've learned, I've compiled it into the bullet points below: Drupal will not see individual CKeditor plugins if you include them in a downloaded...

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