Feb 29, 2024
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Harvard University website redesign
Completed

Harvard University website redesign

$100,000+
7-12 months
United States, Cambridge, MA
10+
view project
Service categories
Service Lines
Design
QA and Testing
Web Development
Domain focus
Education

Challenge

Harvard’s previous flagship website was hard to navigate, especially for prospective students who aren’t familiar with the university’s 13 schools. The site also lacked the technological and design elements necessary for captivating storytelling.
Harvard’s previous flagship website was hard to navigate, especially for prospective students who aren’t familiar with the university’s 13 schools. The site also lacked the technological and design elements necessary for captivating storytelling.

Solution

Craft a web experience that demystifies the university’s structure, helps diverse audiences locate relevant information, and showcases engaging editorial content. The clear solution was a modular design system that could be reconfigured quickly and painlessly by staff who may not have extensive design or development expertise. We created custom Gutenberg blocks for text, pull quotes, video, and audio as well as image containers for portraits from the Harvard community. This set of tools, which we named In Focus, makes it easy for site admins to do topical page “takeovers” that educate and inspire.

Results

The redesigned Harvar.edu strikes a balance between historical significance of the institution, and 21st century business goals. The design feels innovative and agile, supporting content and storytelling, while preserving the university's legacy. The site is accessible, and accessibility was a key consideration at every stage of the project. The outcome being that all visitors are able to find their desired information and engage with the site successfully. A collaborative approach to design, development and content strategy ensures that Harvard's priorities are at the heart of every decision made, and that the site is able to support their content and goals well into the future.