[WebPub] best way to test a site redesign?

[Chris Peterson @ MIT]

Hi all - 

As some of you know, the Admissions Office is in the process of redesigning our website. We're interested in trying to get some data on what our users think of the old site vs the new site: how regular users compare the two, how new users experience each, what associations they develop with MIT because of the look and feel and content, etc. 

What are best practices for testing these sort of things? A/B splits between the entire design and hope to make meaningful sense of the analytics metrics? Focus groups with mockups? Etc? 

Thanks!

- Chris