Web-based Resource

My role: Information architecture, content strategy, migration strategy

This is one of my favorite projects and my favorite clients — an interesting UX challenge for a savvy client who fully engaged in the development of their site.

Mills College has been a trailblazer for much of its history.  Founded in the mid-19th Century, it was the first women's college west of the Rockies; a pioneer in women's higher education, and the first U.S. single-sex college to welcome transgender students.

In the early 2000s, Mills decided to take its student handbook online.  While many schools simply launched brochureware (an old Web 1.0 insult:  the online equivalent of a PDF that simply replicates a print document the site is intended to supplant), Mills wanted to take advantage of the flexibility of online media to  build a truly interactive handbook that would allow students to explore and access information in ways a printed book couldn't offer.

Over the course of several months, I developed a model for a site that would allow students to explore classes and majors, connect with professors, and make use of essential services.  The client was no passive player in this development: every iteration of my work was examined and discussed in detail.  UX folks often complain that their clients get in the way of good design.  But in this case, I got to work with a smart and thoughtful client that took the time to really look at what I'd proposed and then offer detailed and useful feedback.