This project started off as a part of an Information Architecture class. The design process included research, content audit of the entire website, creating sitemaps and wireframes in Axure and finally working on the Visual Design following the Rivet Design System of Indiana University. I also pitched my redesign to the leadership staff of the Center.
🎯 Pitched to the Center in their leadership staff meeting and received great feedback. The Center will be actively working towards incorporating my ideas into their website.
12 weeks
(Oct '20 - Dec '20)
Figma
Miro
Procreate
User Research
Brand identity
Visual Design
Interaction Design
Prototyping
Parumita Sachdeva
Fatima Rafiqui
How might we improve the information architecture of the website to improve findability, discoverability, and navigation?
A major chunk of the time was allotted towards auditing the website content and redesigning the architecture from the ground up.
Understanding the needs and goals of primary users and the business
Highlighting pain points and how they can be addressed
Going through several iterations of sitemaps and wireframes
Following the rivet design system to revamp the visual style of the website
Help IU women leverage technology to attain academic & professional excellence.
Making more people aware about our mission & vision. Improving attendance of events and initiatives offered.
Get support through corporate sponsorships, donations, gifts and collaborations.
Auditing the website showed some prominent issues
There's a lot of diverse information without clear distinctions. There is a lack of visual hierarchy and focus.
Main navigation categories like get involved, programs and events seem similar and cannot anticipate what we’ll find in those pages.
A lot of audience based navigation confused the users.
Based on all the research and analysis, there were four main things that needed focus for this redesign.
To help with outreach & awareness
For students, faculty & staff to learn new skills
Highlighting relevant information that sponsors may need
Providing clear information about signing up, working at the center
“Make sure you're really thinking about the audience-based navigation and whether it's the right approach.” - UX Architect, IU Studios
We observed a virtual classroom session via Zoom video conferencing.
We talked to 5 middle school children who were doing remote school through tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams & Canvas.
Initial rounds of feedback revealed that there was a need to cross link crucial information like sponsors, mailing lists, programs & events.
I decided to follow the newest version of the Rivet Design system to give the website a much needed fresh and modern feel.
How might we cultivate engagement among middle schoolers to facilitate a better learning experience?
How might we encourage self-expression to provide a more personalized learning environment?
"I like how simple and easy the onboarding is!” - senior
“Having both online discussions and getting event information is a great idea” - freshman
“I may not be able to think about more interests without the tags"- Sophomore
Since I was working on this website for so long, I almost stopped seeing problems with it. My initial ideas resembled the original sitemap. Getting feedback helped me break away from circling and improve the information architecture.
Spending time on the structure and navigation of the website is most crucial to ensure good usability. It's also more convenient to revise sitemaps and wireframes rather than the final design iterations.
Working within a design system meant that I had to make use of the current brand guidelines, layout, and components to make sure the website is consistent with the University's brand. I enjoyed working with the design system as it helped me bring more consistency to the design.
