University of Bristol

The University of Bristol staff intranet, used by over 7,000 staff, experienced a frustrating user experience following the migration of 30+ microsites for accessibility compliance. I led a comprehensive overhaul of the information architecture to create a more intuitive and user-friendly site.

Date: 2020

Duration: 11 months

Role: Senior UX Designer

Sector: Higher Education

Platform: Website

Location: Bristol, UK

Roadmap & Sprint planning

I was brought in to help create the information architecture with a team of 2 developers, 2 content managers, and a junior UX designer. However, the project lacked direction. I first facilitated a workshop to develop a roadmap and plan sprints for the project phases.

UX Audit

I conducted a UX review, identifying pain points and gaps in best practices within user journeys and content which highlighted opportunities to improve the user experience.

User journeys

I explored and mapped out multiple user journeys in detail, identifying pain points and blockers and re-created the user journey flows

Competitor analysis

I reviewed and analysed University of Bristol's top competitors, identifying opportunities to improve the user experience and their competitive stance.

Taxonomy and card sorting

I collaborated with content managers on taxonomy work and conducted both open and closed card sorting to validate and develop the taxonomy.

Wireframes

Based on my review of user flows and pages, I created wireframes to showcase improved concepts, which were tested in weekly sprints.

Usability testing

I conducted weekly testing for each sprint, including tree testing to validate the information architecture and usability testing for new user journeys and features. This switched to remote user testing during Covid

Results

I analysed the user testing results each sprint and created weekly reports for stakeholders to clearly communicate the rationale behind decisions.

Drop me a message at info@designbyfi.com