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The Chang School: Homepage Redesign
Overview
Crafting a visually intentional and user-focused homepage redesign for adult learners at The Raymond G. Chang School of Continuing Education.
Crafting a visually intentional and user-focused homepage redesign for adult learners at The Raymond G. Chang School of Continuing Education.
Role: UX Designer
Scope: UX/UI design, research, site audit, competitive analysis
Client: The Raymond G. Chang School of Continuing Education,
Toronto Metropolitan University
Scope: UX/UI design, research, site audit, competitive analysis
Client: The Raymond G. Chang School of Continuing Education,
Toronto Metropolitan University
Key Outcomes
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Context & Problem
The original Chang School homepage was outdated, with unclear hierarchy and under-utilized space. It failed to reflect the brand or guide users effectively. Many concerns about the design were identified including design standards, accessibility, and user behaviour indicators:
Right: Old website design
- Hero section was under-utilized
- Content blocks misaligned
- Design was lacking mobile responsiveness
- Bounce rate increasing month-to-month as indicated by
Lookerstudio dashboards/GA4
- Site views plateaued despite high-traffic months of seasonal registration
Right: Old website design
Audit & Competitive Analysis
I conducted a full site audit, identifying usability issues, alignment problems, and missed content opportunities.I also analyzed peer institutions (e.g. Yale, UofT, Brown, MIT Media Lab) to identify best practices for layout, visual strategy, and interactive content.
Right: Collage of inspiration from competitor research.
Design Process
I iterated on layout, hierarchy, and visual elements, exploring over 20 variations to maximize page real estate and intuitive user experience for continuous learners.The goal was to create a page that felt intuitive, modern, and reflective of the Chang School’s identity.
Above: Various iterations of the homepage design and cadence were created in order to test and validate design choices in the user research phase.
User Research
To better understand the usability and efficiency of the new design, I conducted interviews and moderated user testing on both the current homepage and my prototype. Tasks included navigation, certificate search, and event discovery. These tests were done to uncover behavioural patterns, comparative analysis, and improvements for the final product design.What I learned:
Right: User testing session comparing old (top) and new (bottom) designs.
- Users preferred the new layout and described it as “fresh” and “easy to scan
- ”Quick Links were crucial and needed to be surfaced earlier
- Imagery needed to better reflect the diversity of adult learners
Right: User testing session comparing old (top) and new (bottom) designs.
Final Designs
The final homepage prioritizes clear visual hierarchy with larger, scannable headings and simplified navigation to reduce cognitive load. Quick Links were repositioned higher on the page based on user feedback, improving task completion speed for key actions.Imagery was updated to reflect a broader spectrum of adult learners and aligned with the institution’s current marketing campaign. Interactive sections, like events and certificate search, were reorganized for easier discoverability across devices. The design adheres to AODA accessibility standards and delivers a responsive experience that balances institutional messaging with real user needs.
Results & Impact
- 2M+ active users across the site
- 162% increase in homepage visits YoY
- 25% drop in bounce rate
- 79% YoY increase in engagement
- 100% task completion rate
- Stakeholder and user feedback overwhelmingly positive
This project showed me how design strategy and execution come together to create real impact.
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