Case Study: UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences Website Redesign

Project Overview

The UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences aimed to enhance their storytelling experience through a comprehensive website redesign. Central to Dunlop BioSci's strategic plan, storytelling was integrated into a diverse content plan across various mediums to engage their audience effectively. However, the main website did not reflect the story accurately.

Challenges

  • Inconsistent brand identity with the new marketing strategy.
  • Non-responsive design leading to poor user experience.
  • Inefficient site map and broken links.
  • Outdated design and incorrect content.

Objective

Create a modern website that reflects the brand's story, is accessible and easy-to-use that reflects strategic communication goals.

Strategy and Execution

This redesign took about 6-months from ideation, implementation and launch. Stakeholders involved: leadership, center directors, key faculty and department chairs. With cross-colaboration with IT units and other marketing and communication team members.

Tools used: WordPress for CMS; Site Improve for SEO. Canva, Lumen5 and Adobe Suite products for content creation.
Skills used: Web Design, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Graphic Design, Copywriting, Storytelling.

Theme and Design Development

  • Collaborated with faculty, staff, and leadership to align the website's design with BioSci’s brand identity.
  • Built a content layout that was intuitive and user-friendly.

Content Creation and Layout

  • Developed engaging content that communicated complex biological research in an accessible manner.
  • Used videos, images, and infographics to translate research into micro-learning opportunities.

Launch

  • Launched the new website with a focus on responsive design and improved navigation.
  • Implemented SEO strategies, social media marketing, and email marketing to drive traffic.

Results

The website redesign led to significant improvements:

  • Increased Engagement: 55% increase in website traffic and growth in news and events pages.
  • Positive Feedback: Good reviews highlighted the ease of use for page builders and the alignment with the school’s voice.

Additional Web Projects

Since the redesign of the main website, the School has commissioned 23 websites and microsites (including centers, departments, faculty websites, etc) have been created or redesigned and managed by myself with a team of 1 direct report and 3 student digital assistants.

UC Women in Technology

Below is another example of a website I have built for the University of California system-wide Women in Technology. This project was sponsored by the Office of the UC President and was in collaboration with others in the Digital and Communications committee.

Read about the experience here: Announcing a New Resource for UC Women in Technology

www.ucwit.ucop.edu