U-M School of Information Students Offering Free Website Evaluations, Data Analysis to Detroit Businesses for Alt-Fall Break

The University of Michigan School of Information, in partnership with the U-M Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project, +Impact Studio, and the U-M Vice Provost for Engaged Learning’s Engage Detroit Workshop grant, are headed to Detroit on October 14, 2025! Through the School of Information’s Alternative Fall Break program, students will travel to Detroit to learn about and work alongside the community and partner with small businesses and nonprofits. Teams of students will tackle projects in website design and evaluation and data analysis. Business owners and nonprofit leaders who are interested in being involved can apply here. 

Types of Questions Students Can Answer, If You Have the Data:

• What are my best and worst performing products/services, sorted by month?
• Who are my most loyal clients and what are their scheduling and service preferences? 
• How often do customers return? How much do they spend, on average, per visit?
• How long does it take me to sell each product? Which products have the highest return rates?
• How can I optimize employee schedules to meet customer demand?
• What are the trends in my revenue and expenses over the last two years?
• Is my website easy to navigate for first-time users?
• Where do people linger on the site?
• Are there sections of the site where people might get confused or misinterpret information?
• Why are people adding things to their shopping cart on my site, but not buying?

Full details about the application process and what to expect are posted on the Client Information Sheet.