Plain language and design: Rethinking your approach to administrative websites

Every university has them: administrative websites full of dense procedural information. The content is critical for the smooth operation of any campus but often difficult for even the most knowledgeable person to navigate.  

That’s where the core accessibility principles of plain language and design come in. 

In 2024, the University at Albany’s Web Services team overhauled our Human Resources (HR) website to better serve existing employees and attract stronger applicants to open University positions. 

Users reported that the old HR website’s complicated navigation, duplicative content and disorganized information was so confusing, they would often ignore the website altogether and contact HR directly instead, overwhelming the office with phone calls and emails. 

Our goal: Provide reliable, foundational information on key topics, allowing users to complete common tasks without additional support. 

For 11 months, Web Services worked closely with HR leadership to reenvision their web presence — researching peer institutions and gathering stakeholder feedback, rewriting and restructuring content for accuracy, readability and accessibility, and retraining staff on website editing best practices. 

The HR website is now structured around distinct cohorts, so several different audiences can visit the same website and still feel as though its content is tailored specifically to their needs. Whether the user is seeking to better understand a specific topic or looking to complete a particular form, information is easy to find and act on. 

We also crafted a strong marketing pitch for prospective employees — including real employees’ photos and testimonials — and provided clear instructions for the various pathways to employment. 

This holistic and intentional approach allowed us to improve the website’s content while reducing its size by 68%, making the website easier to use and maintain, so our stretched-thin HR team can better focus on issues that do require individualized attention. 

Attend this session to learn how you can do the same with administrative web content on your campus. 

Presenter

Emily Masters — University at Albany, SUNY