A carefully planned and user-friendly interactive campus map (ICM) has the potential to be the single most important component of an institution’s website. This is especially true from a recruitment and retention perspective. Though student recruitment doesn’t have to be the sole purpose of your ICM, it is an area of essential importance. The majority of personnel at institutions of higher learning will agree that visiting a campus and taking a campus tour is one of the most vital rudiments affecting a student’s decision to apply to a school. Unfortunately, college- bound students can’t tour every institution in which they are interested in attending. And as the costs of traveling continue to rise, many prospective students will not visit as many campuses as previous classes enjoyed. Your ICM is simply another avenue to share information relative to your institution. It’s an engaging way for users to consume valuable insight about your institution and provide them with the experience they are seeking.

A simple-to-use and effervescent ICM or virtual tour can often be the deciding factor in your institution making a student’s short list of college travel destinations. There are lots of interactive campus maps out there on various college websites, and they all seem to be a little different, however very few take the “user experience first” approach. With so many amazing people, places, and hidden gems on your campus, it can be very difficult to decide what to feature. Nevertheless, deciding what will have the biggest impact and make a student want to visit your campus is a challenging, but necessary part of the process.