Saint Mary's university
Year: 2023
My role: UX/UI and Website Designer
Team: Modern Climate
Visual Identity,
Campaign Development,
Experience Strategy
Web Design
UX/UI Design
Accessibility
The Situation
Saint Mary’s University, like many higher education institutions, faced a steep decline in undergraduate enrollment, compounded by rising public skepticism over the cost and value of higher education. Their digital presence no longer resonated with a new generation of students, who expected more personalized, values-aligned, and engaging online experiences. The university needed to modernize its digital identity to reassert its value in a competitive education market.
The Task
I was tasked with creating a future-forward, student-centric digital experience that would:
Reinforce the university’s mission and values (equity, inclusion, social justice).
Attract and convert more prospective students.
Elevate the brand with a visual identity and user experience (UX) that aligns with modern expectations.
Increase applications and reduce bounce rates through intuitive design and user experience (UX) flow.
The Action
User-Centered Research & Strategy:
Conducted extensive discovery work revealing that Saint Mary’s values—social justice, community, and personal purpose—aligned well with what modern students and employers were seeking.
Experience Architecture & UX Design:
Restructured the site architecture to make key information easily findable.
Built streamlined pathways for “Find Your Program” and “Apply” flows, incorporating segmentation, filtering, and clear CTAs.
Created intuitive navigation and information hierarchy to serve prospective undergrad, grad, online, and non-traditional students.
UI & Visual Identity Overhaul:
Developed a refreshed digital brand anchored by the "Star of Mary" logo and shield iconography.
Leveraged modern typography, vibrant imagery, and accessible color palettes.
Applied a modular component-based design system for scalability and CMS control.
Development & QA:
Deployed on WordPress using custom themes. Modules were iteratively QA-tested and designed to support accessibility and ADA compliance.
The Find My Program tool offers a streamlined, user-friendly way for prospective students to explore academic offerings.
Uses clear filters (degree level, interest area, learning format) to help users quickly narrow results.
Features a responsive, grid-based layout that adapts well across devices.
Applies consistent visual hierarchy and readable typography to aid scannability.
Includes engaging microinteractions and accessible design patterns for a smooth experience.
Additional modules are located on the website for visitors to search.
Saint Mary’s legacy branding lacked digital cohesion. A modern, mission-aligned system was needed.
Actions Taken:
Refined the visual identity, including colors, type, and image guidance.
Created responsive UI layouts and a component library optimized for mobile and accessible experiences.
Developed high-fidelity clickable prototypes in Figma.
Ran internal heuristic reviews and moderated user sessions with high school seniors and parents.
Collected feedback on navigation ease, form usage, and content resonance.
A revitalized digital brand that reinforced the University's credibility, spiritual identity, and intellectual rigor
All because of you.
Art direction is reflected in its clean, modern design, which consistently uses branding colors, professional imagery, and straightforward typography to communicate the university’s academic strengths and mission of service and leadership.
Results
+36%
Organic Sessions over the previous year
13%
Bounce rate decreased
+35%
Visitors clicking the “apply” button
Engagement on the site continues to build, and a recent user survey shows an average 4/5 satisfaction with the site.
Summary of smu.edu
Led UX strategy and design system development for a 150-year-old institution navigating declining enrollment and changing student values. I facilitated discovery sessions, crafted a component-based design system, and applied inclusive brand storytelling. The final site unified mission, message, and functionality—positioning Saint Mary’s as a values-driven institution for modern learners.
