
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Welcome to the new-look GoCrimson.com! The Department of Harvard Athletics, in conjunction with website host PrestoSports, unveiled a newly redesigned site on June 29, 2012.
The new GoCrimson.com offers fans a cleaner look, upgraded multimedia viewers and user-friendly navigation including a focus on portability and multi-platform access for tablets and mobile phones.
The redesign has been a 10-month process that started with
external usability testing last August, extended to internal focus
groups and involved a department committee headed by the athletic
communications department.
The redesign has been a concerted effort to make visiting
GoCrimson.com a better viewing experience for prospective and
current student-athletes, fans, community members, alumni, coaches
and media.
GoCrimson.com will continue to provide sport schedules and
results, videos, features, rosters, game previews and recaps,
statistics, online guides, player and coach bios and historical
information for the nation’s largest intercollegiate athletic
program with 41 varsity sports.
Additionally, some of the highlights coming to the new
GoCrimson.com include:
• The masthead and footer will both serve as “sticky
bars” on traditional computers and laptops in order to keep
the navigation right with the user as they scroll. The much
narrower navigation bars provide easy access to features like
tickets, fan zones, live stats, social media and the all-access
media player. These features will not exist on tablets and mobile
phones in order to maximize the smaller screen sizes and improve
the user experience.
• Wider photos with the large lead story on the front page
and in various sections of the site including each team’s
landing page.
• Direct links to box scores, highlights and secondary links within the lead story viewer as a direct result of viewer input for quick access to specific material.
• Wide format video players built directly into the feature
rotational section with specific sections for video
enthusiasts.
• Expanded the front page and sports page top headlines from
five to eight in the top rotation.
• The top stories, headlines, video and schedule tabs on the
main page and at the top of each sports page provide direct links
to show the latest offerings in those sections.
• The graphics embedded in the footer provide direct links to
Harvard's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages as well as live
audio, video and statistics pages with other links to photo stores,
team shops, facility directions and support pages.
• The scrolling horizontal slide-bar provides quick and
unobtrusive links to special promotions and highlighted
content.
• A prominent “Ticket” menu at the top of every
page will provide one-step online ordering for Crimson fans.
Harvard was the first Division I athletic program in the country
to partner with PrestoSports and is now entering its fourth year
with the provider.
We sincerely thank those members of our community that have shared their thoughts on what we believe to be one of the nation’s top collegiate websites and hope that you, the user, enjoys your surfing experience. Go Crimson!