Designing Better Pathways for Current and Prospective Students
Role: UX Researcher and Designer
Product: Research Summary, Design Recommendations
Context: Higher education, CMS constraints, research-driven
Overview
Understanding Student Needs to Inform Website Strategy
Cal Poly Pomona's College of Business Administration (CBA) needed to serve multiple audiences—prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners—through a single website. Following the university's 2018 rebrand, CBA took the opportunity to upgrade its website to not only incorporate a new look but to enhance user experience.
The site was built on Cascade CMS and controlled by the university's IT department. I was brought in on contract to conduct user research and provide strategic design recommendations for improving information architecture, content organization, and user pathways.
The Objective
Update the College of Business Administration (CBA) at Cal Poly Pomona’s website to incorporate new branding and enhance user experience.
Phase One: Research
Understanding Our Users
See my Competitive Analysis here. In addition to the primary and secondary research shown above, I examined the existing site to understand its layout and content. I also studied the new brand guidelines and reviewed how other schools on campus had applied them to their subsites.
Key Findings
See my Phase One - Research Summary with detailed research information and recommendations for this project.
Phase Two - Design/Plan
UX Considerations
Based on my research, I identified some issues that should be addressed on the new website. I divided these recommendations into two categories: Information Architecture and Content.
See Proposed Global Nav for CBA
See Proposed Standardized Contextual Nav for Department pages
Content Strategy
Proposed Design Changes
Translating Research Insights into Design Recommendations
The following designs address key findings from user research, focusing on reducing information overload, clarifying audience-specific pathways, and improving content discoverability for both current and prospective students.
CBA Home Page Redesign
Addressing the need for audience-specific entry points and curated content
Research showed that prospective and current students had different goals when visiting the site. The solution: dedicated landing pages that curate relevant content for each audience, helping students find what they need quickly within a unified navigation structure.
Key changes:
Quick link for Current Students – Provides direct access to student-specific tools and resources (advising, course scheduling, student services)
Quick link for Future/Prospective Students – Creates a clear pathway for program exploration and application information
Content with audience overlap – Features signature experiences, student stories, and newsfeed content that serves both audiences while reducing redundancy
Current Student Page
Supporting task-based navigation for enrolled students
Current students reported difficulty finding frequently needed resources buried in the general navigation. They needed quick access to tools and timely information relevant to their enrollment.
Key changes:
Standardized side nav menu – Provides consistent access to student-related information across pages
Quick links for services – Promotes the most commonly-needed student resources (Centers & labs, Signature Experiences, Student Clubs & Organizations)
Sticky services bar – Gives quick access to tools students use beyond the website (email, Blackboard, etc.)
Newsfeed with expiration – Ensures timely information about events, articles, and deadlines remains current and relevant
Future Student Page
Supporting program discovery and decision-making
Prospective students wanted insights into the student experience to help evaluate whether a school was the right fit.
Key changes:
Prospective-focused quick links – Research showed prospective students wanted a glimpse of campus life and day-to-day student experiences in addition to academic program details
Timely newsfeed – Keeps event and deadline information current for prospective students
"At a Glance" metrics – Provides snapshot data about university performance, culture, and significant achievements to help with decision-making
Student stories – Offers personalized content showing real student experiences and outcomes
Handoff & Outcomes
Delivering Strategic Value Within Organizational Constraints
I delivered a comprehensive research summary and annotated design recommendations to CBA stakeholders. The research findings identified opportunities for future website improvements and better content management.