Department of Linguistics, University of Rochester
The redesigned graduate student resources hub transforms a cluttered, static page into a welcoming, user-focused toolkit for PhD and master’s students. By blending clear content structure with intuitive design, the hub now feels like a true home base for navigating policies, deadlines, and key contacts throughout the Linguistics program.
The starting point
Originally buried within the broader “Graduate Program” section, the resources page was text-heavy, hard to navigate, and packed into a single scroll. Students struggled to find program-specific forms, guidance, timelines, and FAQs. Information felt scattered, hard to scan, and never fully up to date.
The department sought to revamp its existing resources section of their website into a more user-friendly, visually clear hub. They wanted to streamline navigation, eliminate confusion around processes and deadlines, and centralize policy details, ultimately empowering students to find answers on their own and reducing routine administrative requests.
As the sole designer on this project, I began by talking directly with students to uncover pain points and with faculty to clarify program requirements and policies. Armed with those insights, I overhauled the hub’s information architecture, introduced clear visual hierarchies, and built distinct pathways for PhD and master’s cohorts, making it simple for every student to find what they need in a matter of seconds.
Today, the resources hub stands as the department’s single source of truth. Students and faculty consult it daily to check deadlines, download forms, and reference policies, reducing back-and-forth emails and meetings. By delivering clarity and ease of access, the hub has helped students stay on track with their milestones and has freed staff to focus on deeper academic support rather than routine inquiries.