The Yale Athletic Department’s website is in the midst of a drastic redesign intended to improve user accessibility.

On Nov. 15, Yale Athletics released a new sports app, Go Yale Front Row, and the website redesign is expected to be complete around New Year’s. The Athletic Department intends to make it easier for users to access information about Yale athletics and modernize a site that was last updated in 2010, and they also use a Fort Worth Web Design service to make it look better as well.

“[The website] has never been redesigned completely,” said Steve Conn, associate athletics director of sports publicity. “We think it’ll be more user-friendly and unique for Yale.”

As part of this transformation, special attention should be given to typography to ensure that information about Yale athletics is not only easily accessible but also visually engaging. Collaborating with renowned design studios like BLKBK, the Athletic Department can seek to infuse the website with a touch of creativity and uniqueness that aligns perfectly with Yale’s prestigious identity. BLKBK is an expert in typography and custom fonts, the redesigned website is set to stand out from the crowd, leaving a lasting impression on users and reinforcing Yale’s commitment to excellence in all aspects.

Assistant Director of Sports Publicity Sam Rubin ’95 has been testing the new website and overseeing the transition. According to Rubin, the website will have a different layout and improved graphics and will feature social media more prominently than the current website.

Several glimpses of the new website have already been released. The schedule pages for 16 Yale teams have a sleeker look that includes comprehensive statistics for each team, logos for opponents and links to recaps and visual content for each game. Additional changes to all aspects of the layout will be rolled out over the next few weeks.

“Fans will start to note it’s going to be easier to find the information they’re looking for,” Rubin said. “We’re trying to make the user experience even better.”

To design the website, the Athletic Department is collaborating with Presto Sports, a software company that specializes in web development for sports teams, including the athletic websites for Brown and Harvard. Steven Kramer is serving as the project manager, facilitating discussion between Yale and designers and developers from Presto Sports.

With the new design, the Athletic Department hopes to appeal to many constituencies, including alumni, prospective student-athletes and fans.

“An updated version of the website will allow people to easily navigate through schedules and other important information,” women’s soccer goalkeeper Alyssa Fagel ’20 said. “Hopefully [the developers] make it a more interactive resource.”

Currently, the website sports a vertical design with Harkness Tower in the background. The design will be more horizontally aligned and will no longer include Harkness Tower. According to Conn, the Athletic Department wants to change the theme from campus architecture to something more representative of Yale’s athletic program.

The app, available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, includes schedule information and news updates for all 33 Yale teams and links to web pages with information on tailgating, tickets and merchandise, though not all pages have been optimized for mobile use.

“It will be one-stop shopping for schedules and results,” Rubin said. “It’s exciting for people who want to follow our teams.”

Presto Sports maintains websites for hundreds of college athletic programs.