Advising Website Redesign

Advising Website Redesign

Purpose: Evaluate and improve the usability, clarity, and overall effectiveness of the Michigan State University (MSU) Advising website. The site is intended to serve both students and academic advisors, but it lacked a clear structure, consistent design, and user-focused content.

Purpose: Evaluate and improve the usability, clarity, and overall effectiveness of the Michigan State University (MSU) Advising website. The site is intended to serve both students and academic advisors, but it lacked a clear structure, consistent design, and user-focused content.

Roles: Information Architect & UX/UI Designer

Type: Information Architecture, Usability, UI/UX Design

Timeline: February 2025 - June 2025

Tools: Figma, Google Sheets

Approaching the Problem

Approaching the Problem

The Challenge

The Challenge

Redesigning a fragmented, text-heavy website with no clear audience focus to serve both students and advisors, while aligning stakeholders on content priorities and creating a consistent, user-centered experience

Redesigning a fragmented, text-heavy website with no clear audience focus to serve both students and advisors, while aligning stakeholders on content priorities and creating a consistent, user-centered experience

Step 1: Site Exploration & Content Audit

Step 1: Site Exploration & Content Audit

I started by exploring the site to understand how content was formatted, grouped, and accessed. I then did a full audit of 70+ pages, looking at headings, structure, formatting, types of info, and any repeated or inconsistent content.

I started by exploring the site to understand how content was formatted, grouped, and accessed. I then did a full audit of 70+ pages, looking at headings, structure, formatting, types of info, and any repeated or inconsistent content.

Step 2: Stakeholder Feedback Conversations

Step 2: Stakeholder Feedback Conversations

I met with stakeholders weekly to go over my findings, ask clarifying questions, and figure out what they wanted to prioritize next.

I met with stakeholders weekly to go over my findings, ask clarifying questions, and figure out what they wanted to prioritize next.

Step 3: Redesign Strategy & Wireframing

Step 3: Redesign Strategy & Wireframing

Utilizing findings from the audit, I prioritized specific pages that needed a redesign first. I started with heuristic markups, then created low-fidelity mockups of those pages, followed by high-fidelity versions with updated layouts and structure.

Utilizing findings from the audit, I prioritized specific pages that needed a redesign first. I started with heuristic markups, then created low-fidelity mockups of those pages, followed by high-fidelity versions with updated layouts and structure.

Key Findings

Key Findings

Content Audit Stats

Content Audit Stats

Content Audit Stats

  • 70+ Total Webpages

  • 830+ Entries logged

  • 50+ Broken links

  • 70+ Total Webpages

  • 830+ Entries logged

  • 50+ Broken links

  • 70+ Total Webpages

  • 830+ Entries logged

  • 50+ Broken links

Pain Points

Pain Points

  • Buttons and links behaved differently across pages, making users unsure of what actions were possible or what to expect when interacting with the site.

  • Pages were text-heavy and sometimes repeated the same content in different formats, which was overwhelming and inefficient to read.

  • No photos or bios of staff/advisors made it harder for users to feel a connection or creditability, especially on contact or profile pages.

  • Buttons and links behaved differently across pages, making users unsure of what actions were possible or what to expect when interacting with the site.

  • Pages were text-heavy and sometimes repeated the same content in different formats, which was overwhelming and inefficient to read.

  • No photos or bios of staff/advisors made it harder for users to feel a connection or creditability, especially on contact or profile pages.

From Insights to Redesign

From Insights to Redesign

Heuristic Markups

Heuristic Markups

Heuristic Markups

  • Annotated key pages to highlight usability issues and inconsistent layouts.

  • Identified confusing navigation and content gaps based on the audit.

  • Annotated key pages to highlight usability issues and inconsistent layouts.

  • Identified confusing navigation and content gaps based on the audit.

Low-Fidelity Frames

Low-Fidelity Frames

Low-Fidelity Frames

  • Reorganized content to improve structure and hierarchy.

  • Created early wireframes to visualize layout changes without visual styling.

  • Reorganized content to improve structure and hierarchy.

  • Created early wireframes to visualize layout changes without visual styling.

High-Fidelity Frames

  • Designed polished mockups with consistent UI patterns and layout.

  • Proposed updated format and visual structure to enhance usability.

  • Designed polished mockups with consistent UI patterns and layout.

  • Proposed updated format and visual structure to enhance usability.

The Result

The Result

Impact

While the redesign is still being implemented to the site, my work laid a strong foundation for implementation and stakeholder alignment by:

  • highlighting broken links, content and navigation inconsistencies

  • creating clean, image-supported wireframes that enhance recognition and engagement

  • setting a visual precedent for further redesign efforts and improving the way finding around the content.

By implementing this redesign based off my research conducted, it will allow for a better experience for students and advisors navigating and looking for information.

While the redesign is still being implemented to the site, my work laid a strong foundation for implementation and stakeholder alignment by:

  • highlighting broken links, content and navigation inconsistencies

  • creating clean, image-supported wireframes that enhance recognition and engagement

  • setting a visual precedent for further redesign efforts and improving the way finding around the content.

By implementing this redesign based off my research conducted, it will allow for a better experience for students and advisors navigating and looking for information.

To Reflect

This project helped me realize how valuable it is to see research all the way through to design. I don’t always get the chance to move beyond audits, so being able to turn findings into real interface changes deepened my understanding of how content structure and UX design work hand in hand.

It shows that good design starts with clear information and ends with clarity for the user.

This project helped me realize how valuable it is to see research all the way through to design. I don’t always get the chance to move beyond audits, so being able to turn findings into real interface changes deepened my understanding of how content structure and UX design work hand in hand.

It shows that good design starts with clear information and ends with clarity for the user.