The Offbeat Revising the website of MSU’s undergraduate literary magazine

Overall Goal of the Website  To inform students about the magazine  To encourage students to get involved  To find out how to purchase the magazine

Current Website

Usability Testing  Interviewed several of our peers who might be interested in The Offbeat  Had them answer a five question survey  Most had the same answers  For first impression, many said it looked nice/ was pleasant to look at  Several said the top heading/picture is pretty and draws you in  One person wished there was a list or bullet points on home page instead of paragraph  Others said there should be a better explanation of what The Offbeat actually is and the link to the MSU Press should be bolded or highlighted to make it easier to find for purchasing reasons

Mock Ups

Initial Makeover

Initial Design Philosophy  Show past issues of the magazine in a visually appealing way  An archive would allow students to get a *taste* of the magazine before they buy it in order to encourage them to purchase it  Purchasing Information would be more readily accessible (it currently is hidden under the FAQ)  Changing the cover photo to something more relevant

Final Result

Final Design Philosophy  The design should represent the Offbeat aesthetic: avant garde, cool, hip, “offbeat,” etc.  The purpose of the website is to attract writers, artists, and creative thinkers, and to encourage their submissions to the magazine  Implement updated design, including bright colors and more accessible purchasing information, including past issues  Updated social media links, contact information, what’s new, and staff listing

Our Goals/Conclusions  Worked with the design drafted by the staff and implement content changes  Create a style guide so the website can continue to be updated  CSS and format issues can be solved, and information can be updated often