Kristy Cline
ux ui designer
Website Redesign & Social Media
Evergreen School
Role: UX Researcher, UI Designer, Developer, Marketing Team Lead
Tools: Adobe XD, Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Miro, Google Forms, Wix, Facebook, Instagram
Timeframe: 2022-Present
Primary Insight #1
Simplified Information Architecture
To solve navigation issues, a complete redesign of the nav bar was implemented based on card sorting and user flow analysis. The new structure made key pages like Admissions and About Us easily accessible, enhancing overall user experience.
Primary Insight #2
Mobile-First Design
Research indicated that most users accessed the site via mobile. The previous design was not mobile-responsive, creating a frustrating user experience. By prioritizing mobile-first design principles, the new website became more functional and visually appealing on smaller screens.
Primary Insight #3
Visual Content Refresh
Surveys showed the site lacked engaging visuals. To address this, we organized a photoshoot and updated the site with images that highlighted Evergreen's values, creating a more vibrant and community-focused feel. This change was key to improving user engagement.
Deliverables:
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Redesigned website for Evergreen School
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Updated navigation structure
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Mobile-responsive site layout
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High-quality images from a photoshoot
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Refreshed Admissions and About Us pages
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Virtual tour implementation (for future update)
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Parent resources page
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Staff profile section
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Accessibility improvements
Overview
Evergreen Independent School, founded in 1983, began with seven students and a mission to provide an alternative learning environment. Today, it serves children from early education to grade seven while staying true to its original philosophy of community and personalized education.
Challenge
The website no longer met the needs of its users. Evergreen needed a complete redesign that incorporated a more intuitive user experience, better information architecture, and a visual identity that aligned with their branding.
Solution
From research to final design, we delivered a website that truly reflects Evergreen’s community spirit while addressing user needs.
Understand
Research Plan
The objective was simple: understand what users need when visiting the Evergreen website.
Methodologies
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Society Member Surveys
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Market Research
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Competitive Analysis
Participants
By gathering feedback from Evergreen society members—those most familiar with the site—we identified crucial areas for improvement.
Survey Results
Promote the school’s inclusive focus on families and community
Familiarize new parents and students with the school
Website Goals
Accurate representation of the amazing school community
Increase engagement and awareness of Evergreen’s unique culture
Parent testimonials
Visuals of classrooms
What's Missing?
Shorter, more engaging content with more imagery
A centralized parent resources page
Market Research and Competitive / Comparative Research of Competitors
Evergreen’s Competitive Advantage
Evergreen offers a customized educational experience that public schools can’t match. With small class sizes and a hands-on, outdoor-focused curriculum, Evergreen provides a nurturing environment that’s affordable for families in the private school sector.
Website Analytics & User Behavior
Analytics showed that users predominantly visited the Admissions and About Us pages. However, these pages were cluttered with heavy text and lacked visuals, failing to meet user expectations. Moreover, mobile users—comprising the majority—experienced difficulty navigating the site due to poor responsiveness.
Addressing Mobile
The majority of users are viewing the site on mobile, however the responsive design wasn't addressed at all initially.
Explore
Ideate
With research in hand, it was time to ideate and define a clear roadmap for development:
PRIORITY (1)
Identify User Flows
Redesign Nav Bar
New Images
Hero Image Carousel
Redesign Admission Page
Redesign About Us Page
Design for Mobile
Branding
PRIORITY (2)
Add Favicon
Redesign All Pages
Restructure Content
Loading: make smoother
Virtual Tour of School Grounds
PRIORITY (3)
Create Parent's Resource Page
Create Blog Post Page
Teacher Interviews
Redesign Donate Platform
Information Architecture
Through methods such as card sorting and competitive analysis, we restructured the navigation bar, making it more intuitive. The new design allowed users to quickly find key information, resulting in a smoother user flow.
Original Header
Redesigned Header
Too Many Forms
One of the critical insights from our research was the overuse of contact forms. Users found them cumbersome and unnecessary. As a result, many forms were either removed or consolidated to streamline the experience.
Original Footer
Redesigned Footer
Photoshoot & Visual Content
To better showcase the school’s values, we organized a photoshoot featuring students engaged in daily activities, updating the website with vibrant images that bring the school’s mission to life.
Social Media & Marketing Strategy
Working with the PR & Marketing team, we developed a strategy that aligned Evergreen’s online presence with its values. Weekly social media updates, event highlights, and a consistent posting schedule helped boost engagement and brand visibility.
Better Signage and Community Advertising
We designed signage for Evergreen that was on par with branding and had a clear message.
We also made a plan to advertise events at the school clearly in high traffic areas. The turn outs with the new advertising strategy have been higher than expected.
Accessibility Audit
Conducting an accessibility audit using UsableNet AQA, I identified key areas where the site fell short of WCAG 2.1 AA standards. This led to significant improvements, ensuring a more inclusive experience for all users.
Materialize
The final design succeeded in delivering:
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A seamless user experience, with mobile responsiveness at the forefront
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Greater engagement with parents, students, and prospective families
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A website that reflected the values and spirit of Evergreen School
Conclusion & Reflection
Leading this project gave me the opportunity to take on new responsibilities, from organizing student photoshoots to analyzing website traffic data. Working closely with Evergreen’s PR & Marketing team, I not only helped improve the school’s online presence but also developed a collaborative framework that will serve them well in the future.
This project reinforced my skills as both a designer and a leader, equipping me to handle complex, multi-disciplinary tasks with ease.
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