Problem Statement
Over the years, Evangel University’s website had been worked on by numerous teams, leading to inconsistent and “newer” components appearing haphazardly. As the university sought to elevate its professional image and prestige, it became clear that the website needed to be cleaned up and standardized to reflect this goal.
Goals
Audit and document the existing components in use
Standardize all components for consistency
Identify missing components and design new ones
Discovery
To kick off the project, I conducted interviews with the developers and project managers to understand the pain points they experienced due to the lack of a design system. The most common feedback was that creating new ways to present content was time-consuming and inconsistent. I then conducted a thorough audit of the website, capturing screenshots of all current elements. I categorized these elements into “on-brand,” “off-brand,” and “inconsistent but reused” components, organizing them into common language groups for team review.
CASE STUDY
Evangel University Design System
Evangel University, a retainer client, required a design system to streamline website management and standardize the components across their site.
PROJECT DATE
Jan 2023 - Present
PROJECT TYPE
Design System, UI Improvements
COMPANY / CLIENT
Evangel University
SCOPE OF WORK
Design System, Mockups
ROLE
UX/UI Designer, Senior Web Designer
Define & Concept
With a visual inventory of components, I drew inspiration from other websites to start modernizing some of Evangel’s existing elements. Fortunately, the university had recently invested in branding work from an external firm, which provided a solid foundation for defining the visual direction of the new components I proposed.
Design
Once organized, I designed multiple options for most elements for the client team to review, ensuring pixel-perfect execution.
Challenges
Like most projects, we encountered a few key challenges:
Issue #1:
The variety of content needs seemed overwhelming, and at times, it felt like the list of components required was endless.
Issue #2:
Evangel was in the midst of a rebrand, and many of my initial designs were met with feedback like, “This doesn’t align with our brand.” The difficulty arose from the fact that their brand guidelines primarily focused on print materials, offering little guidance for web design elements.
Solutions
Drawing from my commitment to collaboration and empathy, I helped resolve these challenges as follows:
Solution to Issue #1:
I acknowledged that, given the size of the website, the design system would need to be a “live” resource, constantly evolving. I implemented a process for adding new designs to the system over time. Within the design file, I also introduced a documentation and version control system to help us stay organized during updates.
Solution to Issue #2:
We had to work closely with the client to align expectations, as they were accustomed to their old brand. I provided detailed rationale behind each design choice, demonstrating that while the new elements may not have felt perfectly “on-brand,” they were extensions of the existing brand guidelines. Since the guidelines lacked detailed web specifications, I developed these elements as closely aligned with the brand’s vision as possible.
Results
The design system is now complete and currently being implemented. Since its introduction, the university has experienced faster design and development cycles, highlighting the efficiency and value the new system brings to the project.