In 2006, the nation’s top mechanical engineering department had an image problem. MIT MechE – a place where excellence is a foregone conclusion – had a web site that wasn’t making the grade.
The design firm Stoltze created a bold new visual identity. Another firm was then brought in to build the website – but the development cycle got bogged down in a series of problems and delays. Months passed without significant progress, and things seemed to be at an impasse.
This was the situation I inherited when I was hired. My job was to take control of the project, clear the logjam, and help transform Stoltze’s beautiful designs into a fully functioning web site. As it turned out, this required a thorough housecleaning – one which involved rewriting the server code from scratch.
With the support of department leadership, the go-ahead was given to start over, and together we charted a new path forward. When the new website finally launched in early 2007, MIT MechE had a web presence worthy of the department it represented – and a public face that everyone could be proud of.
- Academic department website
- Custom-built database and administrative editor
- Integration with MIT web services
