Barnard today launched a refreshed website that features a responsive design that will allow visitors to explore more easily using both mobile devices and desktop computers. The refreshed layout and navigation will adapt depending on the device or screen size, with a new look and feel that incorporates more visual images, multimedia content, and social media elements.

“Barnard’s updated website reflects the evolving ways that people interact with digital devices, and presents new opportunities for the College to aggregate and share news and information with our community and visitors to the site,” said Joanne Kwong, Barnard’s vice president for communications. “With all that’s happening on campus every day—from student performances to faculty research initiatives to public events—the refreshed site will provide more online space and a wider variety of platforms to share stories and information that show what Barnard is all about.”

Today, with mobile internet usage outpacing desktop internet traffic, sixty percent of people with mobile phones use their device as their primary or exclusive internet source, and over 50 percent of all mobile traffic is streaming video. Similar trends are apparent for Barnard’s site, where the number of visitors accessing the site from a mobile device has jumped 26 percent since 2011, and the College’s use of multimedia content and social media to share news and stories has also increased significantly.

The site refresh process is part of an ongoing effort to keep Barnard’s online presence up-to-date with new industry trends in web development. Since the College’s site was last redesigned in 2011, research and planning has been underway for regular refreshes every three to five years. Led by Barnard’s Communications department, this refresh project began in earnest in spring of 2014. While most elements of the website’s structure and content management system will remain the same, the redesigned homepage features a new interactive mosaic layout that highlights some of Barnard's most distinctive qualities and programs, and the College’s social media channels are much more visible, including a real-time Instagram scroll. The site also features new landing pages for News and Events content, as well as refreshed Admissions and Development sites.

The site will continue to be refined and improved for the rest of the semester, and the entire Barnard community is invited to provide feedback on the design and functionality using the “website feedback” link at the bottom of each page.