Improving our student support and wellbeing web pages

We’re pleased to announce that phase 1 of our student support and wellbeing web rebuild is now live at york.ac.uk/students/support/.

This was a collaborative effort with a group of 20+ stakeholders from across Student Life and Wellbeing (SLAW) and wider University teams.

It followed an extensive discovery phase where we analysed page usage and search queries and conducted user testing and a card-sorting survey with students to design an evidence-based information architecture (how our web pages are structured).

Guiding principle

Our guiding principle for this redesign is student-led discoverability:

• Task-led structure: Grouping support by student need and topic rather than internal University department names or administrative structures.
• Student-friendly copy: Removing jargon so students can find guidance quickly, especially when they need urgent or specialist help.
• Unified directory: Bringing key contacts, self-help guides and external services together into accessible, concise, easy-to-use topic pages.

What we delivered for phase 1

• 7 new core web pages: Consolidating three previous entry paths into one unified main route with six scenario-based support topic pages:
  • Health, wellbeing and disability
  • Money and housing
  • Academic help
  • Communities and personal circumstances
  • Complaints and conduct
  • Crisis support, emergencies and staying safe
• 200+ existing subpages: Mapped and streamlined into the new topic-based structure.
• 1 improved page: Summarising holistic support for disabled students.
• 5 key process pages updated: Featuring a new ‘Who is this guidance for’ section at the top to make cohort eligibility (UG, PGT, PGR, Online) and signposting much clearer, eg exceptional circumstances and self-certification of an illness.

A streamlined landing page

The new landing page is structured around a clear content hierarchy:

• Crisis and emergency contacts at the top for immediate access.
• Frequently used / highest traffic quick links.
• Direct links to scenario-based topic pages.
• A structured section outlining how to access support, organised by theme.
• Signposting to student life and belonging content.

What this means for students

• Faster answers in distress: Students can find guidance by searching for their specific issue without needing to know internal team names or structures.
• Seamless transition: All existing bookmarks, saved links and search engine results automatically redirect to the new pages without dead ends.

What this means for staff

• Simpler signposting: Bookmark york.ac.uk/students/support/ as your primary starting point for student queries.
• Preserved referral routes: Specialist services continue to use their referral forms, which are embedded directly into relevant topic pages.

What’s next?

We’re currently in the snagging phase, ensuring everything works seamlessly while making minor iterative content tweaks to ensure the pages address students’ most common support queries.

We are also planning to gather user feedback as we prepare for scoping phase 2, which will involve a deeper rewrite of subpages and reviews where content intersects with broader support areas – such as student life, belonging and communities.

Spotted something broken, have a question, or want to share feedback?Please contact Internal Comms at university-internal-comms@york.ac.uk.