CCPS Online

The web properties of the Clayton County school district were outdated and unable to meet the needs of the county’s constituents, which hindered the accessibility of district news and information.

By performing an overhaul of all district sites under a unified CMS platform, I was able to serve the needs of our visitors by giving each user clear and direct access to important information.

As the district webmaster, I spearheaded this project with support from my supervisor in the Marketing department. I was solely responsible for making the project run smoothly over the next several months.

For this project, I was responsible for conducting user research, developing the site’s new design, and working with internal district stakeholders and new site vendors to determine goals and timelines.

Goals

My goals for this project were the following:

Address the issue of information being hard to find

Promote a consistent design language across all district sites

Allow designated users to take control of their own content

Unify all district sites under a universal CMS platform

Since the district sites receive 20k+ daily visitors consisting of students, faculty, parents, staff, and community members, I wanted to get a better understanding of these users.

Research

I initially met with members of the superintendent’s cabinet, board members, and other district officials to collect feedback on their own usage of the site and how it could better serve our constituents.

I also collected feedback from school level officials, teachers, parents, and students via email surveys. The responses showed that access to information was the top priority across all groups.

This set the foundation for prioritizing the district homepage to be a central information hub that is equally valuable to all visitors.

Process

To procure the services of a reputable CMS vendor, I wrote and submitted an RFP to solicit bids from potential service providers. I required each vendor to provide a project manager and 2 developers to assist in the creation of the new platform.

After securing a contract, I worked closely with the development team to craft a custom platform that would accommodate the needs of the Clayton County population based on my prior research. My department's director provided approvals and sign-offs throughout the course of development.

I designed detailed wireframes, mockups and prototypes that were informed by the user insights I gained during the research process.

The new site platform was built over the course of the next six months to the specifications of the designs I provided to the development team.

Prior to launch, I also worked with representatives from county departments and all schools to transition their content to the new platform.

Results

Redesigned Landing Page
The new landing page of the district site was designed to serve as a central hub that gives visitors easy access to information that is relevant to the diverse individuals who access the site regularly.
Responsive and Mobile Ready
All sites were redesigned with mobile and tablet users in mind given the growing percentage of visitors accessing the site through those devices.
Standardized Design Language
To promote a unified and consistent visual brand, all district sites were redesigned according to a new visual standard that featured an intuitive navigation structure and improved information clarity.
Dedicated Information Hubs
New dedicated hubs aggregate news and information that is relevant to a particular segment of the site audience. Students and parents can now directly access information that is relevant to them.

Takeaways

After the site was launched, feedback surveys indicated sentiment for the new site was largely positive, with 88% of respondents reporting the site as “moderately” to “vastly” improved.

Analytics showed an 11% decrease in landing page bounce rate and a 37% increase in traffic on dedicated hub pages and department subpages, as these areas were easily accessible from the landing page.

I also launched a web training course before and during the launch of the new site, which helped the department and school representatives become familiar with the new system.

Next Project

CCPS Web Learning