QUALITYstarsNY

Head of UI/UX Design
Quality Improvement Platform for Early Childhood Programs

New York State’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) needed a unified digital platform for educators and families.

I led the full redesign, merging two outdated sites into one accessible platform built to grow with the program.

The resulting site integrates dynamic program data and guides each user type along their optimal path. It also introduces easy content management for the QUALITYstarsNY team at the Professional Development Institute (PDI) at The City University of New York (CUNY), who maintain and grow the platform.

Sitemap outlining user journeys by role, highlighting priority content and shared navigation across the QRIS platform

Sitemap visualizing educator and family pathways across shared content.

From Fragmented to Focused

QRIS previously maintained two separate websites: one for early childhood educators, and one for families seeking programs. This caused confusion and abandonment, as users struggled to find relevant information quickly.

Before: Disconnected journeys

Screenshot of the old educator-facing QRIS website, showing unclear hierarchy, disconnected navigation, and accessibility issues

Families had to dig through provider-focused content and were often redirected off-site with no clear way back.

Screenshot of the old family-facing QRIS website, showing unclear navigation and a lack of integrated resources

The standalone family site offered limited content and lacked navigational ties to the broader platform.

After: A seamless platform for all users

Screenshot of the redesigned QUALITYstarsNY homepage connecting educators and families through unified navigation and streamlined content

A unified homepage connects families and educators to the right content quickly, with consistent navigation and integrated resources throughout.

Building a Platform That Works for Everyone

To serve both families and educators in a single system, we restructured the information architecture and content hierarchy.

Clear paths for families and educators enabled visitors to find the most relevant information, increasing KPIs like account creation, completed applications, Aspire Registry integrations, and participation in QUALITYstarsNY programs.

Designing for Discovery: Find a Program

Helping families find the right early childhood program is at the heart of QUALITYstarsNY’s work. We designed an interactive, filterable map that lets users search by location and program type. We implemented custom fields and bulk import functionality so the internal team can easily maintain it.

Screenshot of the interactive, filterable map of early childhood programs

Interactive, filterable map helps users quickly find nearby programs.

Results: Accessible, Unified, and Ready to Grow

Created clear paths for educators and families, improving navigation and engagement

Integrated a powerful, filterable map with an intuitive backend for easy updates

Delivered a flexible CMS so staff can manage and grow platform content

Designed and tested for full WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance

Since launch, the program has doubled in size and continues to expand

Visit the live site
Note: The site has been updated by the client since launch.

I led this project while Head of UI/UX Design at Idea Kraft.