The University of Pretoria has launched a new website, after analysing three years of user trends and other market research to identify what visitors want most from the site.

The new site is more user-friendly, easy to navigate, agile and easily viewable on any device, after following a strong mobile-first approach in its design. The site now has a reduced number of clicks to get to the information that you need.

The modern look and feel is aesthetically appealing to a variety of audiences, especially prospective students, with easy-to-use navigation and a prominent search function.

“The website is fresh, vibrant and reflective of the diverse, inclusive and exciting environment that is the University of Pretoria,” says UP Registrar Professor Caroline Nicholson, who oversaw the project. “The research study allowed us to know and engage with our primary audiences, and order information in a way which makes it easier for a person from outside the University of Pretoria to navigate or understand how related areas fit together.”

One of the biggest changes in the new site is that core audiences have been identified, and these audiences (such as “Students”, “Parents and Guardians”, “Alumni”) have been given their own navigation tools by means of a persona which allows them to select which audience they form part of. Clicking on one of these personas takes the visitor straight to the most relevant information and content selected for that particular individual.

One of the biggest audiences identified was prospective students, who generally visit websites before they visit campuses. The website is a marketing and communications tool that plays an important part in any student’s decision on which university to attend. Prospective students want a shopping list to evaluate course programmes, course offering, location, facilities and accreditations – information which the new site makes easier to find.

UP’s Virtual Campus project was part of the first phase of the web refresh project, and makes it easy for prospective students to discover, access and explore our beautiful campuses and excellent academic programmes from anywhere in the world.

We welcome your feedback and comments on the new site. Simply click here to fill out the feedback form.