Conflict Intelligence at Columbia University
An academic platform designed to showcase new and upcoming courses and apps related to the center, while also providing current students access to assessments and resources.
March 2024 - September 2024
Timeline
Project Administrator (1)
Tech Designer (1)
Team
Figma, Canva, Squarespace
Tools
About the Platform
Conflict Intelligence @ CU is meant to be one of the two main platforms associated with the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. The CIQ Platform serves as a resource for users to access free assessments on topics such as conflict resolution, mediation types, and leadership styles, available to both students and the general public. As MD-ICCCR grows, we recognized the need for a dedicated space where professionals, academics, and the wider community can explore our newly offered certifications and courses. Conflictintelligence.org now fulfills this purpose.
Previous Design
As displayed, the previous layout had been used for years with little to no design changes. As technology advanced, the layout seemed outdated rather than fresh and new.
Goal: Complete re-design of the previous conflictintelligence.org website as well as a platform transfer keeping in mind a modern and academic user interface and design.
The Challenge: The previous CIQ platform was outdated, faced many issues, and did not display a professional interface to users.
The Solution: Creating a modern user interface setup to provide interactive functions and organization, while maintaining the academic design required.
Setting Goals
My colleague and I compiled a list of all design and functionality issues present on the current site. We then established overarching goals accompanied by specific sub-plans to provide a solid foundation and structure for our work.
Overall, our design objective was to modernize the site, moving away from its early 2000s appearance. We aimed to achieve a professional aesthetic while incorporating contemporary, attention-grabbing visuals tailored to our audience. A contemporary look also creates a positive first impression, displaying professionalism and credibility to potential clients or users. As a part of Teachers College, Columbia University, a set standard of rules applied to branding. We felt that we wanted to use this to our advantage as a cohesive brand identity across various channels, reinforcing recognition & trust among users.
USER profiles
Examining user profiles is important for several reasons:
Understanding user profiles allows for tailored experiences, enabling the delivery of customized content, recommendations, and features that align with individual preferences and needs. User research must be conducted to analyze data, user frustrations, and user flow. With the original CIQ Site, our audience consisted of students and working professionals, however, as we expand, our goal is to allow for the general public to view and utilize our site and resources. Common frustrations include: difficult navigation, broken links, and incompatible formatting. Based on feedback, our main objectives were to include room for expansion, create an organized & friendly user flow, and create a cohesive look overall.
Organization
My colleague and I completed a thorough usability check of the current CIQ site to understand the users’ frustrations and user flow. We made sure to note all areas of development as well as understand how our new resources will be integrated within the current organization. The site’s primary users will be academics, with working professionals and the general public being secondary users. Though we wanted to build areas of expansion, it was crucial to make sure the main pages our primary users would utilize were readily available with a user friendly organization and layout.
After gathering a list of ideas and specifics that we wanted to improve, we put together a visual wireframe, organized our content, and mapped out user flow. A simple layout was created to ensure our site was able to incorporate all important factors and allow users for easy access and navigation. Setting up a basic wireframe helps map out the website’s page. We are able to see if there are any missing connections or even what could be missing from the actual look and design. Creating an outline helps us move with efficiency as we create multiple versions of our ideas.
Visual Design
MD-ICCCR is a research center associated with the Teachers College of Columbia University. Our other website is the home page to our center. To create a cohesive brand, as well as align with regulations, it was necessary to include design elements adhering to these standards. We made sure to incorporate the pre-determined logos and color schemes. It was decided that an academic design was prioritized for professionalism as well and to stay aligned with the center’s overall brand and design. We wanted to make sure visually appealing illustrations were used to attract attention as well as allow for a consistency within design.
Design & Development
Choosing a Layout: Selecting a layout that aligns with the center’s vision and functionality needs.
Customization: Utilizing editing tools to modify the template. Transferring the domain.
Content Creation: Adding text, images, and other media. Ensuring content is engaging and optimized for our audience.
Integration: Setting up necessary integrations, such as social media links, course waitlists, and contact forms.
Testing: Reviewing the site for functionality, responsiveness, and user experience across different devices and browsers.
Launching: Publishing the site once everything has been finalized, as well as tested.
Maintenance: Regularly updating content, monitoring performance, and making adjustments based on user feedback and analytics.
Results & Takeaway
This project has only recently been launched and I look forward to working on more! Next steps include a visual redesign of the assessments and integrating new courses and services. Our assessments are built through programs on another platform. We hope to modernize our assessments as well as customize them for better data collection and analysis. Soon, we will be launching our CIQ-L courses and are currently designing and building associated pages and platforms.
This project has been a wonderful opportunity to understand and utilize user research, user interface design, and content writing methods. It has taught me how UX research is crucial for creating effective, user-centered designs that enhance satisfaction and drive success! A user-friendly interface is essential for creating effective, enjoyable experiences that drive user engagement and success. Additionally, this simplifies onboarding for new users, allowing them to quickly understand the product without extensive training.