Expectation
Explore programs → Review details → Apply
in
Reality
At Georgia Tech, a clear funnel became a maze
that turned simple tasks into treasure hunts
with extensive backtracking and abandonments
The Problem
GT's homepage was the front door to a 2.7M-visitor
digital ecosystem, yet it was failing to guide students forward.
15+
Average clicks to
apply
68%
Dropped off after 10% scroll
16s
Average session duration
Critical information (programs details, admissions requirements, and costs)
buried across inconsistent, inaccessible, and fragmented sites
Future Proofing Georgia Tech's
Digital Front Door
Team
2 UX Researchers
1 Content Strategist
1 Product Manager
Timeline
Jan 2024 - May 2025
(18 months)
Methodology
Heuristic Evaluation, Behavioral Analytics, Info Architecture, User Interviews, Focus Groups
My Role
Triangulating end-to-end research to establish redesign foundations
As a UX Researcher, I led an end-to-end discovery effort across the homepage and broader ecosystem to understand what was broken, why it was happening, and what needed to change - and worked closely with design, content, and leadership to translate insights into a prioritized homepage strategy.
Methods Applied
To uncover both user experience issues and organizational constraints, I ran a coordinated discovery program using:
Stakeholder Focus Groups
Defining shared needs
5 sessions with editors and department leads (n=43)
CMS pain points, KPI gaps, resource constraints
Behavioral & Heuristic Analysis
Uncovering usability gaps
Analytics (click paths, scroll depth) + Severity-scored HE
Home scored lowest
Buried CTAs, false affordances, navigation loops
Task-based Usability Testing
Validating with real users
Moderated sessions with prosp. students tracking completion + path clarity
Median lostness >0.4
Users took inefficient, looping routes
Competitive Landscaping
Learning from peers
Benchmarked home, majors, and degree-specific flows
Clearer nav patterns + stronger CTA hierarchy
While the project encompassed the entire digital ecosystem, this case study focuses on the homepage research, with insights from Phase 2 that shaped future recommendations.
Impact at a Glance
Our research informed a homepage-first redesign that centralized key actions, unified the IA, and set the foundation for a campus-wide CMS migration.
Results from Phase 1 Homepage Refresh
2.3x
Scroll engagement
increase
3x
Time on page
increase
+180%
CTA click
increase
+52%
Program exploration
increase
Phase 1: January – August 2024
Understanding the Landscape
Improving the homepage meant unpacking technical constraints, content strategy gaps, UX debt, and user behavior failures simultaneously.
Defining Baseline
Stakeholder Focus Groups Revealed Systemic Chaos
Before evaluating the user-facing experience, I needed to understand the internal challenges facing the people who create and maintain Georgia Tech's websites. This would surface technical constraints and organizational friction that would impact any redesign effort.
50+ fragmented sites often duplicating or contradicting each other
5+ CMS versions (Drupal 6–10, Mercury, CampusPress) creating inconsistent layouts
Incomplete GA4 setups left major user journeys completely untracked
No staging/version control meant updates often broke live pages
While infrastructural challenges (CMS limitations and staffing) were beyond our control, I documented them to set realistic boundaries and helped stakeholders establish missing KPIs.
Reading between the Clicks
Triangulating problems through dual lenses
I ran the heuristic evaluation and behavioral analytics in parallel, blending expert judgment with user evidence. When both identified the same issues, it confirmed severity + frequency, strengthening the case for change.
1
in
3
were rage/dead clicks
68%
never scrolled past
hero section
127
Usability violations
documented
70/100
Homepage HE Score
Expert Lens
Heuristic Evaluation
Reviewed 6 high-traffic sites against Nielsen’s Heuristics + WCAG, identifying design patterns that violate user expectations creating friction.
->
Evaluated navigation consistency
->
Assessed visual hierarchy and CTAs
->
Checked error prevention and recovery
->
Reviewed brand consistency and accessibility compliance
Behavioral Lens
Microsoft Clarity + GA4
Analyzed 10,000+ sessions to validate heuristic findings and uncover true behavioral drop-offs across the site.
->
Scroll depth and heatmap
->
Path loops and backtracking
->
Funnel analysis and drop-off points
->
Session recordings of friction
->
Dead and Rage clicks
The dual approach exposed the most critical failures
Finding 1: Critical CTAs Buried Below the Fold
63% of applicants never saw the application entry point.
Surfacing CTAs above the fold in redesign prototypes increased click-through by 89%.
Heuristic Evaluation
Visibility & Accessibility Violation
“Apply” and “Schedule a Visit” were placed 3+ folds down, often invisible on mobile
+
Behavioral Analytics
Invisible CTAs in Practice
Only 9.6% of users scrolled far enough to see primary CTAs; engagement was negligible
Finding 2: False Affordances Eroded Trust
Misleading visual cues created learned helplessness, driving 34% higher bounce rates on affected pages.
Heuristic Evaluation
Inconsistent Visual Signifiers
Hover states that didn’t link, underlines on non-links, and decorative containers styled like buttons violated basic standards
+
Behavioral Analytics
2,400+ Rage Clicks
Users repeatedly clicked headlines, images, and cards expecting navigation, then abandoned the page in frustration
Finding 3: Navigation Created Circular Paths
Circular paths added 4.7 minutes to task time. Users trapped in loops converted 67% less often.
Heuristic Evaluation
Unclear IA + Content Loops
Redundant paths and inconsistent hierarchy repeatedly sent users backward instead of forward
+
Behavioral Analytics
Mid-funnel Drop off
Users bouncing in loops — homepage → programs → faculty → back to homepage — and then dropping off entirely
Finding 4: Inconsistent Design Signaled Unprofessionalism
Visual inconsistency undermined Georgia Tech’s perceived professionalism and brand trust.
Heuristic Evaluation
Brand & Consistency Violations
Inconsistent button styles, headers, and link treatments signaled low quality and lack of standards.
+
Behavioral Analytics
Higher Hesitation on Inconsistent Pages
Longer dwell times on pages with multiple button styles as users paused to judge trustworthiness.
Benchmarking Navigation and Content Strategy
What Best-in-Class Universities Do Differently
To understand how other leading universities handle the tension between institutional brand unity and college-level autonomy, I conducted a systematic competitive analysis of 9 peer institutions.
Key Observations
01
Simplified Wayfinding and Audience Paths
Prominent, above-the-fold search with scoped queries (“Programs, People, Courses”) and audience-based entry points (“For Students / Faculty / Alumni”).
02
Dynamic Storytelling with Clear Visual Hierarchy
Hero videos, student stories, and stats build quick emotional connection and convey culture.
Clean sections, clear headings, and strong imagery keep content easy to scan.
03
Strong CTAs + Quick Actions Tiles
Key actions (Apply, Visit, Request Info) surfaced above the fold and reinforced through quick-action modules to reduce cognitive load and guide users straight to high-value tasks.
GT was prioritizing comprehensiveness over findability
While peers had shifted to utility-first design, GT remained locked in a content-dense model that overwhelmed students and buried essential information.
Quick Wins
Homepage Refresh
->
Surface search prominently
->
Make CTAs more visible
->
Include dynamic storytelling
->
Improve UX copy
->
Enhance visual hierarchy
Incremental implementation without major IA changes
Deeper Work
Pitfalls to Avoid
->
Restructure main navigation
->
Flatten information architecture
->
Standardize audience pathways
->
Consolidate content silos
->
Consistent labeling
Requires usability testing and stakeholder alignment
I provided comprehensive recommendations spanning both paths. Leadership decided to start with the homepage refresh, delivering immediate improvements while gathering additional data through usability testing to inform the larger navigation overhaul.
Reflection and Learnings
What this project taught me
This project taught me that redesigning a decentralized ecosystem requires more than pointing out UX issues — it requires building alignment, grounding decisions in converging evidence, and acknowledging constraints without letting them stall progress.
The parallel research approach (heuristics + analytics + competitive + usability) created a body of proof that stakeholders couldn’t ignore. And by pairing quick wins with clear long-term IA strategy, we set a realistic path toward a future-proof, student-centered digital experience.
This case study represents Phase 1 research and initial design iteration at Institute Communications, Georgia Tech.