Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications

The Newhouse School at Syracuse University, one of the nation’s top communication schools, needed a better way to manage reaccreditation.

I led UX strategy and interface design for a custom self-study platform that transformed a dense, static document into a fully navigable, accessible, web-based experience.

As Head of UI/UX Design, I delivered a flexible system that worked for both content contributors and external accreditors. This included prototypes, information architecture, and a scalable design system, delivered under tight institutional deadlines.

To meet accreditation requirements, we needed to upgrade the self-study from a dense, static document into a fully navigable, web-based experience. Our two main user groups had very different priorities:

• Newhouse faculty and staff needed to draft and organize answers across dozens of accreditation standards, often collaborating asynchronously.
• External accreditors needed to quickly find and evaluate specific answers, documents, and data tables, without getting lost in deep hierarchies.

We explored multiple navigation approaches in low-fidelity wireframes early on, validating assumptions through stakeholder feedback before investing in visuals or CMS development.

We had to ship an MVP that worked before any content existed and support a dual-user system with very different needs. Our design decisions needed to anticipate structure, flows, and customization without waiting for final input.

We asked:

• How will Newhouse contribute content?
• How will accreditors consume and evaluate it?
• What UI flexibility do both groups need?

The result: a scalable, user-friendly framework flexible enough to support long-form content, supporting documents, and evolving requirements.

Built from a refined custom template, I used Asana integrated with our other tools to guide the team through multiple iterations. The roadmap helped:

• Provide context for user stories within epics (streamlined navigation, search, etc.)
• Tag and sort by high priority/low effort
• Show deadlines and dependencies at a glance
• Keep details documented and accessible
• Align the team around strategic goals

To meet accreditor expectations and WCAG 2.1 AA standards, we designed an interface that emphasized:

• Full visibility of all questions (no hidden or collapsible content)
• Scan-friendly layouts for long-form answers and data tables
• Clear content hierarchy and intuitive navigation
• Accessible markup, structure, and interaction patterns

Once the foundation was in place, Newhouse began populating the platform with real content. This allowed us to:

• Observe how users navigated and filled out standards
• Gather feedback from key stakeholders, including the Dean
• Uncover usability friction through real-time insights and questions
• Prioritize improvements based on observed behavior and qualitative feedback