UVA Alumni Association
Enhancing file access and collaboration through User Experience Design
Project Overview
The UVA Alumni Association needed a modernized intranet for internal staff and department communications. The existing system was outdated, cluttered, and hard to navigate, making daily tasks inefficient and frustrating for users. I was responsible for conducting research, restructuring the information architecture, building wireframes, and implementing the design using WordPress.
Problem Statement
Problem
- Disorganized content: Files and links were buried under multiple menus or labeled inconsistently.
- Inefficient navigation: Employees had trouble finding key documents and contact info quickly.
- Outdated design: The look and feel didn’t reflect UVA’s brand, and it wasn’t optimized for accessibility or responsiveness.
- Disorganized content: Files and links were buried under multiple menus or labeled inconsistently.
- Inefficient navigation: Employees had trouble finding key documents and contact info quickly.
- Outdated design: The look and feel didn’t reflect UVA’s brand, and it wasn’t optimized for accessibility or responsiveness.
Goals and Objectives
Goals
- Reduced time-to-task (e.g., finding documents or submitting forms)
- Aligned visually with UVA’s brand
- Was easy to maintain and update by staff
- Offered intuitive navigation and accessible design
- Reduce time to find key resources by 50%
- Improve user satisfaction through post-launch feedback
- Increase intranet usage across departments
- Reduced time-to-task (e.g., finding documents or submitting forms)
- Aligned visually with UVA’s brand
- Was easy to maintain and update by staff
- Offered intuitive navigation and accessible design
- Reduce time to find key resources by 50%
- Improve user satisfaction through post-launch feedback
- Increase intranet usage across departments
User Research
- “What tasks do you use the intranet for most often?”
- “What frustrates you about using the current system?”
- “What’s something you wish the intranet could do?”
- “Which pages or tools are hardest to find?”
- “I waste time clicking through outdated menus.”
- “I usually just email people directly instead of trying to find things here.”
- “It feels like every department organizes its pages differently.”
- “What tasks do you use the intranet for most often?”
- “What frustrates you about using the current system?”
- “What’s something you wish the intranet could do?”
- “Which pages or tools are hardest to find?”
- “I waste time clicking through outdated menus.”
- “I usually just email people directly instead of trying to find things here.”
- “It feels like every department organizes its pages differently.”
Personas
Tanya – HR Manager
Needs quick access to onboarding documents, benefits forms, and staff contact info.
Frustrated by outdated file versions and missing pages.
Checks intranet multiple times daily.
Chris – Communications Intern
Wants an easy-to-use dashboard for announcements, templates, and branding assets.
New to the team; unsure where to find what.
Only uses the intranet when told, because it’s not intuitive.
Tanya – HR Manager
Needs quick access to onboarding documents, benefits forms, and staff contact info.
Frustrated by outdated file versions and missing pages.
Checks intranet multiple times daily.
Chris – Communications Intern
Wants an easy-to-use dashboard for announcements, templates, and branding assets.
New to the team; unsure where to find what.
Only uses the intranet when told, because it’s not intuitive.
User Journey - Chris
Receives a task to download the official logo for a presentation.
Logs into the intranet.
Struggles to find the “Brand Assets” folder under the correct department.
Spends ~5 minutes locating the file.
Hopes it’s the latest version—but isn’t sure.
After redesign:
Chris clicks “Resources” > “Brand Assets” from the homepage.
Downloads the correct file in under 30 seconds.
[Insert user journey flowchart image here]
Receives a task to download the official logo for a presentation.
Logs into the intranet.
Struggles to find the “Brand Assets” folder under the correct department.
Spends ~5 minutes locating the file.
Hopes it’s the latest version—but isn’t sure.
After redesign:
Chris clicks “Resources” > “Brand Assets” from the homepage.
Downloads the correct file in under 30 seconds.
[Insert user journey flowchart image here]
Wireframes
To restructure the platform, I created low-fidelity wireframes that explored a simplified layout with:
A collapsible sidebar
A universal search bar
A “Quick Links” section for common tasks
Consistent page layouts across departments
[Insert paper wireframe image here]
[Insert digital wireframe screenshot here]
To restructure the platform, I created low-fidelity wireframes that explored a simplified layout with:
A collapsible sidebar
A universal search bar
A “Quick Links” section for common tasks
Consistent page layouts across departments
[Insert paper wireframe image here]
[Insert digital wireframe screenshot here]
UI Design
I implemented the final design using WordPress and customized it with UVA’s brand colors, fonts, and layout guidelines. Key design decisions included:
A clean, modular card-based homepage
Branded top bar and intuitive dropdown menus
Mobile responsiveness using a flexible grid layout
[Insert final UI mockup of homepage here]
[Insert final UI mockup of department page or document center here]
I implemented the final design using WordPress and customized it with UVA’s brand colors, fonts, and layout guidelines. Key design decisions included:
A clean, modular card-based homepage
Branded top bar and intuitive dropdown menus
Mobile responsiveness using a flexible grid layout
[Insert final UI mockup of homepage here]
[Insert final UI mockup of department page or document center here]
Accessibility Considerations
Accessibility was a core focus throughout the redesign:
All images include alt text
Used WCAG-compliant color contrast ratios
Designed with keyboard navigation and clear focus states
Ensured proper heading structure for screen readers
Chose legible, scalable fonts and clean visual hierarchy
Accessibility was a core focus throughout the redesign:
All images include alt text
Used WCAG-compliant color contrast ratios
Designed with keyboard navigation and clear focus states
Ensured proper heading structure for screen readers
Chose legible, scalable fonts and clean visual hierarchy
Outcomes & Learnings
Although I didn’t get to conduct full usability testing, internal staff expressed immediate positive feedback, especially on navigation and visual clarity.
Wins:
More intuitive layout
Reduced search time for key resources
Consistent structure across department pages
Lessons Learned:
Consistency in naming and labeling is just as important as visuals.
Internal tools benefit just as much from UX design as public-facing ones.
I would love to revisit this project with real analytics post-launch.
Although I didn’t get to conduct full usability testing, internal staff expressed immediate positive feedback, especially on navigation and visual clarity.
Wins:
More intuitive layout
Reduced search time for key resources
Consistent structure across department pages
Lessons Learned:
Consistency in naming and labeling is just as important as visuals.
Internal tools benefit just as much from UX design as public-facing ones.
I would love to revisit this project with real analytics post-launch.