College Website Rebuild
Redesigning a Small College Website to Tell a Bigger Story
I partnered with a small international college, located in O'ahu, Hawaii, to completely rebuild its outdated website—a critical tool for attracting prospective students, especially from overseas. The site hadn’t been updated in years. Key content was missing, navigation was broken, and storytelling was almost nonexistent. Over a three-month engagement, I led a full redesign—defining scope, aligning stakeholders, conducting research, and delivering a 54-page website with improved structure, narrative, and usability.
Role
Led the full UX process solo, from stakeholder alignment and research to design and launch.
Impact
The new site made it easier for users to navigate and connect with the school, while aligning internal teams around a shared vision and renewed ownership of content.
Client
Hawaii Tokai
International College (HTIC)
Timeline
3 months
Deliverable
54-page website
Industry
Education
👾 The Problem
The team knew the website wasn’t working but had no clear starting point but was unsure what to fix, how to organize information, or how to move forward.
“
We know the website needs help, but we don’t know exactly what to change or how to structure it moving forward.
“
Everyone seems to have different ideas. There’s no shared vision of what the site should look like or who it’s really for.
“
It’s overwhelming. We don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking at or fixing first.
✅ The Solution
I led a structured, end-to-end process that clarified priorities, reorganized content, and gave the team a clear path forward.
🔍 The Process
I led the project through five key stages: discovery, research, strategy, design, and launch. We began by aligning with stakeholders and understanding the school’s challenges through 38 interviews with students, staff, faculty, and alumni. I then rebuilt the site’s structure and content based on real user needs, designed and implemented a responsive CMS, and involved stakeholders early through live previews and weekly syncs—ensuring clarity, buy-in, and momentum from start to finish.
🧩 Challenge 1:
Reclaiming the Story
The
Challenge
Years of undermaintenance had left the site stripped of substance. Student life, campus experience, and support services were missing entirely, while core content—like academic programs and testimonials—hadn’t been updated in years. The voice of the school was quiet, and prospective students had little to connect with.
What
I Did
Through 34 interviews with students, staff, and faculty, I identified key content gaps and worked directly with department heads to restore and rewrite the school’s story. This included bringing in real voices—like student and alumni perspectives—and adding pages that showcased life at HTIC beyond academics.
Why
It Matters
This content overhaul laid the foundation for Challenge 2: restructuring the site. By rebuilding with updated, accurate, and human-centered content, the new navigation and site structure had something meaningful to support—making the experience more useful, authentic, and trustworthy.
🧩 Challenge 2:
Broken Structure
and Navigation
😤 The Challenge
“Users are getting lost—and we don’t know how to guide them.”
The old website had no user experience in mind—pages were disconnected, navigation was confusing, and there was no logical flow. Using the insights gathered from interviews (see Challenge 1), I completely rebuilt the site’s architecture from the ground up.
😎 The Strategy
Build around real user journeys—not internal org charts.
I redesigned the information architecture based on real user journeys, not internal structures—focusing on how prospective students explore, compare, and act.
✅ The Solution
Rebuild the entire architecture with clarity and scale in mind.
I expanded the site from fewer than 30 pages to 54, organizing it into clear, purposeful pathways. Each section now supports intuitive browsing, with distinct calls to action for U.S. and international students. The new structure was designed for both clarity and long-term scalability.
🙁 Before
🙂 After
Simplified navigation transformed into a layered, user-centered architecture. growing from flat links to a scalable, intuitive structure.
Clear in-page navigation and “Keep Exploring” modules guide users to related content—making it easier to move between sections and discover the information they need without hitting a dead end.
The homepage now introduces distinct user pathways—helping U.S. and international students, schools, and current students find relevant content quickly based on who they are.
✨ The Impact
Navigation that works for users—and for the school.
Users can now move through the site with ease—finding what they need and understanding what to do next. Navigation feels intuitive, and internal teams are using the new structure as a foundation for future digital efforts.
🧩 Challenge 3:
Stakeholder Misalignment and UX Unfamiliarity
A team unfamiliar with UX—and no shared path forward
When the project started, I was working with a team that had never gone through a UX process. There were no established workflows for collaboration. Priorities varied across departments, feedback was inconsistent, and stakeholders weren’t sure what a “good” website even looked like.
“
We know the website needs help, but we don’t know exactly what to change or how to structure it moving forward.
“
Everyone seems to have different ideas. There’s no shared vision of what the site should look like or who it’s really for.
“
It’s overwhelming. We don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking at or fixing first.
Creating structure from the ground up
To move forward, I focused on building rhythm and trust. I introduced weekly syncs in May and June, then shifted to twice-weekly check-ins in July to pick up speed. I built a shared feedback tracker so everyone could see and contribute to what was being discussed, and I shared a working preview of the site on July 1—well before anything was finalized.
Why this mattered
By launch, everyone was on the same page—not because we forced alignment, but because we built it together. That shared understanding laid the groundwork for smoother collaboration in future phases of work.
🏁 Result
54-page website, fully rebuilt with new architecture and navigation:
✅ Responsive design
✅ Clear navigation
✅ Improved content clarity
✅ Scalable CMS structure
✅ SEO foundation
✨ Beyond Scope
Conducted 38 user interviews (vs. ~15 originally planned)
Added 7 alumni interviews to inform blog and storytelling features
Launched blog content early (originally planned for later phase)
Delivered SEO setup ahead of schedule
🙌 Happy Clients 🙌
“
I want to express my deepest gratitude to you as well! It was a very fulfilling project to be a part of, and I have learned so much from you… and I am also happy to have made it this far and to have gone on this journey with such a skilled professional such as yourself. Looking forward to polishing the website going forward.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
“
Mahalo nui to you and everyone who worked on this. It looks great and we really appreciate all your hard work!
“
It looks great! I really like the alumni interview section.
💬 Key Takeaways
1
Define scope and align early.
Upfront clarity with stakeholders saved weeks of confusion down the line. By breaking down deliverables, setting expectations, and getting sign-off on priorities, I avoided misalignment and gave the project a strong foundation. The early preview link was key—it helped bridge understanding between design and leadership.
2
Include your users.
Stakeholders often thought they already understood the problems—but talking directly to students, staff, and alumni uncovered blind spots and deeper insights. These conversations helped surface key content gaps, uncovered navigation issues, and inspired features like the alumni spotlight blog.
3
Early previews = early buy-in.
By sharing a working preview before designs were “final,” I turned feedback into collaboration. It helped stakeholders visualize the impact of UX decisions, gave them space to respond before launch stress kicked in, and built trust in the process. It also demystified design for teams unfamiliar with UX.
4
Flexibility delivers value.
While staying within the original contract, I looked for opportunities to go above and beyond—especially when it meant long-term impact. From building a stronger SEO foundation early, to creating content structures for future growth, I delivered beyond the brief in a way that made the client want to keep working together.