UH Maui College Brand and Communications Toolkit – A Usability Study

Consistency in branding and communications play an integral part in the success of any organization. Branding gives a clear sense of purpose for what an organization does, while external communications help shape the public's perception of who the organization is and what they do. The University of Hawai'i Maui College (UHMC) has had a diluted brand due to the absence of a Marketing Director. They had no clear marketing consistency, resulting in a weakened UHMC identity and limited community presence. To support a consistent brand and concise messaging, the researcher developed a website to act as a marketing and communications hub for UHMC. This usability study aims to design and evaluate a brand and a communications toolkit for the faculty and staff at UH Maui College.

The study assessed the navigation, usability, and effectiveness of the tools and resources contained within the toolkit website. Data were collected from 15 participants through quantitative surveys and qualitative walkthroughs to measure how easy or difficult it was to navigate the toolkit and how useful it was to UH Maui College faculty and staff. Results collected from the usability study have shown a progressive improvement in website navigation, with all participants finding the toolkit's content to be helpful. Based on this study's results, the researcher will integrate the toolkit into the UH Maui College website as a resource for improved brand identity and consistency. The researcher plans improvements which include video tutorials and an expanded asset library to further enhance the toolkit website and overall user experience.