The Polis Center at Indiana University
Revamping The Polis Center website
Timeline
3 months, including development
Team
1 UX Designer
1 UX Engineer (That's me)
2 Developers
1 Product Manager
Responsibilities/Contributions
Led a team of three (designers & developers) while collaborating closely with stakeholders to align on goals and progress.
Conducted a UX audit of the website, including user interviews, heuristic evaluation, and analytics review to identify flaws in navigation and content structure.
Redesigned the sitemap end-to-end and proposed the new structure through annotated wireframes.
Developed the website within Indiana University’s WCMS, ensuring consistency with institutional guidelines and standards.
Context
The Polis Center is an organization that works for the social good by improving community health, well-being, and resiliency.
User Groups for the revamp
Community members seeking services or resources.
Businesses or partners exploring collaborations.
Researchers or academics looking for data.
Job seekers looking for their next opportunity.
Problem
The website’s confusing and inconsistent navigation caused users to struggle with finding key information, resulting in frequent drop-offs.
Design Solution
I streamlined the site structure by consolidating content and standardizing layouts for a more intuitive experience.
Fixing Information Architecture
I reorganized the information architecture based on user mental models, prioritizing clarity, relevance, and task flow. Each section was labeled using language that resonated with users, avoiding internal jargon.
Fixing the nav bar
The navigation bar did not align with users' goals, often forcing them into unnecessary nested clicks to complete tasks. Many users attempted to return to the home page by clicking the Indiana University Indianapolis logo in the top-left corner, which redirected them to the university's main site instead.
Before
After
Impact
80% reduction in user navigation errors, validated through tests.
Learnings
Designing with development in mind ensured a seamless build process and better execution.
Iterative testing and feedback helped refine the design, reducing errors and enhancing usability.
Prioritizing Information Architecture made the information easy to find and
improved user flow.