Carnegie Classification
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education.
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Visit Carnegie Classification site >
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Client: American Council on Education
Role: User Research Lead, UX Designer, Accessibility Specialist
Background
I led the user experience design for the redesign of the Carnegie Classification website. This update went live in 2023.
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Key Goals:
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Consolidate two separate websites into a single, cohesive experience while preserving the full content of both
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Streamline and simplify the search functionality to improve usability
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Ensure visual and functional alignment with the American Council on Education (ACE) brand
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Work within the constraints of a CMS with layout and presentation limitations
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Original site before redesign
Redesigned site
Recent Updates
To help institutional researchers compare colleges and universities, the Carnegie Classification added institutional data to its platform. We focused on presenting key data points in a way that was easy to scan and understand, even within the design limitations of WordPress. I contributed design and usability guidance, helped ensure the experience worked well for all users, and advocated for plain language. For example, we used "Campus Setting" instead of the more technical term "Urbanicity" to make the information more approachable.
Donut charts meet contrast requirements and can be viewed either as a visual chart or a data table. Labels appear next to each chart segment and include data values to improve clarity and comprehension..
