Sector(s)
About the project
Challenge
The primary motivation for SOAS to develop a new website was to bridge the gap between their vibrant digital marketing efforts and their outdated website that was failing to deliver a satisfactory user experience. This disconnect was hindering the university's aspirations, with staff reluctant to upload content into the obsolete infrastructure.
Approach
We launched a comprehensive overhaul of the existing website, integrating an appealing design that was perfectly aligned with the university's dynamic branding. On the landing page of a university website you might expect to find lots of information and lots of answers. When you arrive at the SOAS website, you find only questions: How does the environment intersect with global poverty and inequality? Is there a solution to the world's refugee crisis? The planet is facing some of its greatest challenges. It is current generations of students asking questions about how those challenges might be addressed and it will likely be the next generation of graduates finding the answers.
SOAS is a university like no other, and we wanted to create a website that cemented this reputation and reflected the university's commitment to addressing real-world issues. Built using the Drupal content management system, the new SOAS website is a practical tool as well as a symbol of their reputation and renewal. The user-friendly CMS has simplified internal operations for staff, saving huge amounts of time. We did not lose sight of the fact that prospective students are looking for information too: course content, entry requirements, and career prospects. We used thoughtful user journey mapping and a refreshed information architecture to ensure students can find what they are looking for.
Results
Total page views increased by 46.7%, demonstrating a significantly increased level of user engagement. The number of students starting an online application increased by 219%, demonstrating the website's capability of a tool for student recruitment. The number of users increased by 70% and the number of new users increased by 86%, demonstrating the website's ability to reach new audiences. The number of users from outside the UK increased by 67%, signifying significantly improved international reach.
Why Drupal was chosen
We selected Drupal for this project because it gives SOAS's web team genuine control over the website without locking content teams into rigid templates or requiring constant developer support. Its modular approach means editors can build and adapt pages using flexible building blocks, responding to new needs as they arise while keeping the site's design consistent. The modern editing experience — with intuitive tools like CKEditor 5 and the clean Gin admin interface — makes content management straightforward, even for non-technical users. Drupal's granular permission controls allow precise management of who can do what across the team, which is essential for organisations with complex governance needs. Security is robust, backed by a community of over 118,000 active developers who continuously work on access control, encryption, and protection against attacks. And because Drupal scales effortlessly to handle millions of visitors and tens of thousands of pages, this project's website can grow with the organisation — without the hefty licensing fees of enterprise alternatives.
Technical Specifications
Drupal version:
