From Insights to Impact: Harris School of Public Policy's UX Overhaul
We partnered with the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy to redesign its website to drive engagement with a modern, research-informed design and empowering content admins with flexible Layout Builder components.
The Harris School of Public Policy, ranked 3rd in the U.S. for public policy analysis, is a leader in data-driven policy research and education.
Harris wanted to remain on its Drupal platform but needed a design refresh, better flexibility for content editors, and a more engaging experience for diverse audiences. The site’s usability issues were limiting its ability to showcase the school’s programs, research, and thought leadership.
- Improve usability and engagement through user-driven design updates.
- Provide content admins with flexible tools for page creation and customization.
- Align the site with UChicago brand and accessibility standards.
- Highlight the school’s data-driven impact through storytelling and visuals.
- Conducted stakeholder workshops, department sessions, and usability studies with students to identify pain points and opportunities.
- Created a robust library of UI patterns, new content types, and updated global styles.
- Implemented Drupal’s Layout Builder to give editors control over page layouts, with consistent hero and component styles.
- Rolled out updates iteratively, adding Layout Builder capabilities to additional content types and refining structured layouts.
- Delivered a refreshed homepage, program pages, and content layouts designed to better connect with varied audiences.
- Introduced flexible hero styles and component-based layouts for more visual variety within brand guidelines.
- Applied accessibility best practices to meet compliance standards.
- Established a long-term optimization plan to keep improving usability and admin tools over time.
By combining research-led design decisions with flexible page-building tools, we enabled Harris to better serve both its users and its content teams. Based on our research, we identified opportunities for new ways to present content that are useful for users, such as checklists, infographics and dynamic data points on the homepage. This balance of usability and administrative control sets the stage for continuous growth and engagement.
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Success
The refreshed Harris School of Public Policy website reflects the school’s leadership in data-driven policy, delivering a flexible, accessible, and audience-focused experience. With improved usability and empowered content teams, Harris can now more effectively showcase its work to students, researchers, and policy leaders worldwide.
