{"id":1525,"date":"2026-10-26T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/?p=1525"},"modified":"2026-10-26T08:22:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:22:28","slug":"improving-our-student-support-and-wellbeing-web-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/2026\/10\/26\/improving-our-student-support-and-wellbeing-web-pages\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving our student support and wellbeing web pages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re pleased to announce that <strong>phase 1 of our student support and wellbeing web rebuild<\/strong> is now live at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/\"><strong>york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was a collaborative effort with a group of 20+ stakeholders from across Student Life and Wellbeing (SLAW) and wider University teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Guiding principle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our guiding principle for this redesign is <strong>student-led discoverability<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Task-led structure:<\/strong> Grouping support by student need and topic rather than internal University department names or administrative structures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Student-friendly copy:<\/strong> Removing jargon so students can find guidance quickly, especially when they need urgent or specialist help.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unified directory:<\/strong> Bringing key contacts, self-help guides and external services together into accessible, concise, easy-to-use topic pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What we delivered for phase 1<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>7 new core web pages:<\/strong> Consolidating three previous entry paths into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/\">one unified main route<\/a> with six scenario-based support topic pages:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/health\/\">Health, wellbeing and disability<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/money-housing\/\">Money and housing<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/academic\/\">Academic help<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/circumstances\/\">Communities and personal circumstances<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/complaints\/\">Complaints and conduct<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/crisis-safety\/\">Crisis support, emergencies and staying safe<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>200+ existing subpages:<\/strong> Mapped and streamlined into the new topic-based structure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1 improved page:<\/strong> Summarising holistic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/circumstances\/disabled-students\/\">support for disabled students<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>5 key process pages updated:<\/strong> Featuring a new <em>\u2018Who is this guidance for\u2019<\/em> section at the top to make cohort eligibility (UG, PGT, PGR, Online) and signposting much clearer, eg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/studying\/progress-issues\/exceptional-circumstances\/\">exceptional circumstances<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/health\/self-certification-illness\/\">self-certification of an illness<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A streamlined landing page<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new landing page is structured around a clear content hierarchy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crisis and emergency contacts<\/strong> at the top for immediate access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Frequently used \/ highest traffic<\/strong> quick links.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct links<\/strong> to scenario-based topic pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A structured section<\/strong> outlining how to access support, organised by theme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Signposting to<\/strong> student life and belonging content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"494\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/Support-and-wellbeing-Support-and-wellbeing-University-of-York-10-23-2026_12_42_PM.png?resize=494%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A screenshot of the new student support landing page. It is organised into four main sections - starting with crises and incidents, then six quick links for frequently used services, followed by links to six support topic pages then a section with key contacts organised by types of query. At the end there is signposting to student life content.\" class=\"wp-image-1528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/Support-and-wellbeing-Support-and-wellbeing-University-of-York-10-23-2026_12_42_PM.png?w=494&amp;ssl=1 494w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/Support-and-wellbeing-Support-and-wellbeing-University-of-York-10-23-2026_12_42_PM.png?resize=154%2C300&amp;ssl=1 154w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What this means for students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Faster answers in distress:<\/strong> Students can find guidance by searching for their specific issue without needing to know internal team names or structures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seamless transition:<\/strong> All existing bookmarks, saved links and search engine results automatically redirect to the new pages without dead ends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What this means for staff<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simpler signposting:<\/strong> Bookmark <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/\">york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/<\/a><\/strong> as your primary starting point for student queries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Preserved referral routes:<\/strong> Specialist services continue to use their referral forms, which are embedded directly into relevant topic pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re currently in the snagging phase, ensuring everything works seamlessly while making minor iterative content tweaks to ensure the pages address students&#8217; most common support queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 &#8211; such as student life, belonging and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spotted something broken, have a question, or want to share feedback?Please contact Internal Comms at <a href=\"mailto:university-internal-comms@york.ac.uk\">university-internal-comms@york.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re pleased to announce that phase 1 of our student support and wellbeing web rebuild is now live at york.ac.uk\/students\/support\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[38,69,63,48],"class_list":["post-1525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-content","tag-content-design","tag-content-strategy","tag-web"],"acf":[],"uoy_author":{"name":"Tasha Kidd","bio":"","image":{"src":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=200&d=mm&r=g","width":200,"height":200,"alt":""}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/support-pages-banner.png?fit=850%2C510&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1525"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}