Lullabot, a well-known web development company in Providence, Rhode Island, is leading the remodel of South Dakota State University’s website. The company’s objective is to enhance user experience and implement technological improvements for the site, which was originally built in 2016.

Lullabot, which builds, supports and maintains high-performance websites, was chosen over 34 other vendors that expressed interest in redesigning the website. The state requires a request for proposal (RFP), which gives all vendors an opportunity to bid.

Mike Lockrem, the director of University Marketing and Communications at SDSU, explained why it’s important that the site is getting a rebuild.

“Technology advancements in Drupal (a content management software), where we build our website, is now well beyond where our site in 2016 was built,” Lockrem said. “We are in need of rebuilding a lot of the back end. Websites are a bit like a car, it still could be shiny and nice on the outside, but the engine is old and needs a lot of repairs.”

The current technology on the site is nearing the end of its life, with some of it no longer being supported by web companies, Lockrem said that creates a challenge for not only maintaining the technology but also the security of the site as well.   

Jennifer Meiners, a digital communications specialist at SDSU, shared the updates needed on the website’s backend.

“The top priority is updating the CSS (the code the site is built on). It’s old,” Meiners said. “The last redesign was in 2016, a normal shelf life is six to seven years, and we’re due for a new site. Across all (Board of) Regents schools, our website is the oldest.”

“The rebuild would look to upgrade the website’s features such as the code the website is developed in, the overall navigation, the search bar and the tabs featured on the top and right side of the page,” Meiners said.

“Some of the current complaints UMC hears about the website include the navigation, the overall look of the website, being older and condensed, the events calendar and the backend for editors updating the site,” Lockrem said.

“A lot of navigation creates confusion for the user experience,” Lockrem said. “We have an opportunity to clean it up and we plan to make some of those things that are more relevant to student users for the students, and more things that are relevant for faculty.”

Jake Randle, a third-year student at SDSU, hopes the website is a better experience for incoming students.

“It sounds like there are a lot of cool things that can come along with a rebuild, and I think that it will be better for the incoming students coming to the school in the next couple of years,” Randle said.

“The budget for the rebuild will be no more than $600,000 and it will take an estimated 18 months to complete,” Lockrem said. “The University officials think the price tag is a justified considering that the current and rebuilt site will be one website rather than multiple spread across the university.”

“For example, one university will have multiple sites… departments will all build their own sites… most land grant universities have separate budgets for their websites, there are some universities that have 250 to 300 websites just within their own university, we are just going to build one. When you look at the price tag it’s a significant investment, we’re doing it centrally rather than distributing out to everyone.”

“The university aims to involve students throughout the rebuild process, whether it be through one-on-one interactions, focus groups, or gathering content and information about what students need based on how they navigate the current site,” Lockrem said.

There will also be a post-launch relationship with Lullabot to address issues that go along with the launch. There will most likely be inevitable fixes and adjustments to the site after it goes live.

“Rebuilding the site in Drupal offers the advantage of enabling future developments and enhancements,” Lockrem said. The new platform allows for the implementation of numerous possibilities, which excites the current web developers.

“This is like being at a car dealership, we want heated seats, and a moonroof…,” Meiners said. “As we start digging, we’re going to have to hold back on some of those expectations and realize what we can and can’t do…We might be able to replace the speakers or get a moonroof later, but it might not be the first thing. It’s just exciting to start the process and it’s been fun to dream so far.”