CASE STUDY
Vanderbilt Big VU Navigation Project
Designing clarity inside one of higher education's most complex digital ecosystems
Context & Overview
Vanderbilt's digital ecosystem is massive — hundreds of sites, each designed independently over time. Students, parents, faculty, and alumni described it the same way: "It's easy to get lost."
Simple tasks like finding admissions requirements, degree programs, or giving opportunities required too many clicks, too many guesses, and too many detours.
The goal of the Big VU Navigation Project was clear: Create a unified, scalable navigation framework that brings order, clarity, and consistency to every corner of Vanderbilt's web presence.
My Role & Scope
What I Owned:
- ✓Navigation strategy
- ✓Final design decisions
- ✓Cross-functional coordination
- ✓Student incentive coordination
What I Influenced:
- →Research methodology
- →Data analytics approach
- →Content strategy
- →Technical requirements
Who I Partnered With:
UX Researcher, Data & Analytics team, Digital Strategies, Marketing, School representatives
The Real Problem
Vanderbilt's website ecosystem suffered from fragmented user experiences that created significant friction across all user groups. This wasn't just about "confusing navigation" – it was a systemic problem affecting institutional goals and user success.
- Inconsistent labels and navigation patterns across 8+ school websites
- Fragmented content spread across multiple sub-sites with no unified taxonomy
- No cohesive system serving students, faculty, or alumni simultaneously
- Lack of clarity around core user journeys
- Increased cognitive load causing users to "ping-pong" through pages
"It's hard to get from [Owen] school site back to main site, if there was a way it would be easier – they open up a bunch of new tabs and information gets scattered, you don't know which tab has what"
— Julia, graduate student
Constraints
Organizational
Multiple audiences with conflicting needs
Technical
Decentralized content ownership across 8 schools
Political
Required stakeholder buy-in without formal authority
Timeline
6-month window for modernization initiative
Research Methodology
Key Findings
"The search function is HORRIBLE. Truly. So many dead links, irrelevant results, and almost never the real thing I am looking for."
— Faculty member
Design Strategy & Process
Based on research insights, we explored multiple navigation approaches to address different user needs and technical constraints.
Solution 2: Persona Pathways
Addressed persona needs but required extensive restructuring.
Solution 3: Search-First
Leveraged search behavior but required backend technical improvements.
Solution 1 (sticky navigation with enhanced dropdowns) was ultimately selected for universal implementation as it improved discoverability and reduced navigation friction without requiring major backend changes.
Key Decisions & Tradeoffs
What We Prioritized:
- ✓Unified navigation framework over school-specific customization
- ✓Persona-based pathways over generic mega-menus
- ✓Admissions and student pathways over internal faculty tools (phase 1)
- ✓Scalable pattern library over one-off custom solutions
What We Deprioritized/Killed:
- ✗Custom navigation per school (would have broken cohesion)
- ✗Alumni pathways in phase 1 (too complex, required separate discovery)
- ✗Advanced filtering and search (added complexity for minimal gain)
- ✗Animated transitions (performance and accessibility risks)
Why These Decisions Reduced Risk:
- →Standardization enabled faster rollout across schools
- →Persona pathways reduced cognitive load and improved task completion
- →Pattern library approach ensured long-term maintainability
- →Phased rollout allowed validation before full-scale implementation
Outcomes & Impact
"Quick guides for the win. If you don't know by now, I really like these quick guides."
— Shane, undergraduate student
Institutional Outcomes
- ✓Research-backed navigation framework presented to leadership
- ✓Stakeholder alignment across faculty, students, and leadership
- ✓Scalable IA standards adopted for ongoing migrations
UX Outcomes
- ✓Shorter task completion times and clearer pathways
- ✓Reduced navigation errors and "ping-pong" behavior
- ✓Accessibility improvements meeting WCAG standards
Reflection
This project established a unified, user-centered navigation model designed to bring order and clarity to one of higher education's most complex digital ecosystems.
Looking back, I would have pushed harder for earlier stakeholder workshops with school leadership. While we achieved technical and UX alignment, earlier political buy-in could have accelerated adoption timelines and reduced resistance during rollout planning.
What this demonstrates about me:
- •I'm a UX leader who can guide research, IA, and cross-team alignment
- •I thrive in complex ecosystems that require structure, clarity, and scalable thinking
- •I balance user needs with political and technical realities
- •I build coalitions by listening, translating, and aligning perspectives