High School District 214
UI/UX Designer: Responsive Website Design
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High School District 214, a WebAward winner for Outstanding Website and honored as a Blue Ribbon High School District by the U.S. Department of Education, is one of Illinois’ premier public school districts. Serving nearly 300,000 residents across a region larger than the city of St. Louis, the district encompasses the communities of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Elk Grove, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, and Wheeling. District 214 offers an extensive academic program with more than 600 courses, alongside robust support for students with special needs. Students benefit from a wide range of extracurricular opportunities, including athletics, music, drama, service organizations, and special interest clubs. Dedicated to lifelong learning, the district also offers an expansive Community Education program for residents of all ages.
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Project Goals
Redesign the District 214 website and related web properties to reflect:
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Modern representation of the District 214 brand and status as a destination district
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Outstanding user experience
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User-centered content priorities and features
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Unique and diverse needs and audiences of the District departments and programs
Maximize the website redesign process as an opportunity to:
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Review and update all site content
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Consolidate and centralize Squarespace/Microsites into one platform
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Formalize website content best practices, update procedures and governance
Foster buy-in and support from key stakeholders throughout the process through:
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Initial research and surveys
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Vendor selection process and announcements
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User experience testing
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Post-launch feedback and engagement
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Top Challenges
Navigation and information architecture:
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Site map/planning
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Site Consolidation
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Process/workflow
Inconsistent/out of date content
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CMS features (auto-archive content)
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Process/workflow
Accessibility/service to diverse audiences
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CMS features (translated content, ADA compliance)
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Site design (mobile-responsive)
Representation of D214 brand
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Site designs, look and feel
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CMS technology to support and templatize modern look
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Process/workflow and content guidelines
Support for content contributors
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Easy-to-use CMS
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Easy to follow process/workflow
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Features/integrations to streamline content entry
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Discovery and Recommendations
Top Features:
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Mobile-friendly site design
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Integrated calendar
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Click-to-translate
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Site-wide search
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Online Payment Portal
Overall approach:
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Fewer tools, more streamlined
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Less overlap with tools that are not being fully utilized
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Client Provided Drafts and Branding Guide
To better understand the desired look and feel of the site, the client shared early design drafts and their branding guidelines. We also collaborated on selecting web-safe fonts that complemented their licensed print typefaces. Additionally, the client provided the hex code for the red used consistently across both the district and individual school websites.
Outcomes
District 214 successfully launched their redesigned website in 2021, achieving key strategic goals through a comprehensive and thoughtful approach. The new site was developed to reflect a modern representation of the District 214 brand and affirm its position as a destination district. With a strong emphasis on user experience, the redesign prioritized intuitive navigation, user-centered content, and features tailored to the diverse needs of departments and audiences across the district.
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The redesign process also served as a critical opportunity to review and update all existing content, consolidate various Squarespace and microsites into a single unified platform, and establish clear best practices for content management, including formalized procedures and governance. These enhancements not only improved site functionality but also ensured long-term scalability and consistency.
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The impact of this work was recognized when the site received a WebAward for Outstanding Website in the School category in 2021—an accolade that highlights both the quality of design and the strategic execution behind it.
