Bowdoin’s website almost entirely reverted to its old design last week after a short-lived switch to a new homepage design. Associate Vice President of Interactive Marketing Robert Kerr sent an email to all students and faculty on October 5, detailing the rationale behind the latest switch.
“In considering how to make improvements and how best to fix some of the glitches in functionality, we don’t believe ‘retrofitting’ the new design is the best course. Rather than trying to alter the new design, we are going to merge the best elements of the new with popular aspects of the former site,” Kerr wrote in the email.
According to Kerr, the feedback received by Bowdoin’s online media department, the Interactive Media Group, motivated him to make the switch. 
“We got people who absolutely loved it, and we got people who absolutely hated it,” he said of the new design.
Some of the most popular aspects of the new format included the new navigation system and bigger pictures on the homepage. However, the lack of news content was roundly criticized, especially by alumni.
“Instead of trying to bulk news into a design that really wasn’t meant to have news on it, we’re going to go back to the page that had the news on it and maintain the navigation system,” said Kerr.
So far, the reaction from students to the return to the old format has been mixed.
“I preferred the layout that included the ‘Students’ section at the bottom of the page, with access to library, OneCard, laundry, and dining web pages,” said Claire Velez ’16. “But I definitely appreciate that the homepage once again tells me what’s currently going on at Bowdoin.”
Other students disagreed.
 “I thought the new website design was much more appealing than the old one,” said Ryan Kuleza ’15.
“I disliked how the new site design catered mostly to people who didn’t know about the school already,” said May Kim ’16. “The old design works better at serving the current student body.”
Kerr said that he hopes the website can continue to evolve and change in the future.
“One of the things that makes the web interesting is that it’s not static, that it changes—it can be interactive and adaptable,” he said.
Kerr also emphasized the need for the website to stay current.
“I’d like to see the home page change much more than it has in the past. It’s essentially been the same for nine years, which is a really long time in web time,” Kerr said.
-Compiled by Katie Miklus