Find My Catholic School Website

Helping parents on their journey to find a school

Role

UX Designer

Industry

Education

Duration

4 weeks

Competitor & similar product research

As this was a redesign of an existing site, many page layouts and information hierarchy were inherited due to the time restraints. However, with the client and the project team as a collective, we were motivated to make changes throughout the site that resonated with the fan base, but also felt familiar and easy to use.

Map products reviewed (web & app)

  • Google Maps

  • Bing Maps

  • Retail or restaurant store finders

Current website heuristic evaluation

Before starting wireframes or ideation of what needed to be improved, I conducted a heuristic evaluation

  • Consistency and Accessibility: Overall the site lacked design consistency which impacted the accessibility and usability of the site. This included how the site did not feel cohesive with the brand of MACS. The key action point from this was to ensure our new design prioritised readability, legibility to increase usability above what simply looks 'nice'.

  • Navigation & pathways: While the site included useful information, there were what we felt 'sudden stops' in flow of information and action. Lack of sign posting, calls to actions and prompts meant users were often left with more tasks to complete away from the site. Key actions from this was to introduce sufficient and meaningful calls to actions that increase conversation.

  • Functionality and ease of use: while the tool itself was not difficult to use, it provided little value when it came to interacting with it. Limited filter options, categorisation and sufficient information often left users with questions than answers. Key action point from this was to explore how we might include more school related information to help parents conduct their school search.

Competitor & similar product research

As this was a redesign of an existing site, many page layouts and information hierarchy were inherited due to the time restraints. However, with the client and the project team as a collective, we were motivated to make changes throughout the site that resonated with the fan base, but also felt familiar and easy to use.

Map products reviewed (web & app)

  • Google Maps

  • Bing Maps

  • Retail or restaurant store finders

Current website heuristic evaluation

Before starting wireframes or ideation of what needed to be improved, I conducted a heuristic evaluation

  • Consistency and Accessibility: Overall the site lacked design consistency which impacted the accessibility and usability of the site. This included how the site did not feel cohesive with the brand of MACS. The key action point from this was to ensure our new design prioritised readability, legibility to increase usability above what simply looks 'nice'.

  • Navigation & pathways: While the site included useful information, there were what we felt 'sudden stops' in flow of information and action. Lack of sign posting, calls to actions and prompts meant users were often left with more tasks to complete away from the site. Key actions from this was to introduce sufficient and meaningful calls to actions that increase conversation.

  • Functionality and ease of use: while the tool itself was not difficult to use, it provided little value when it came to interacting with it. Limited filter options, categorisation and sufficient information often left users with questions than answers. Key action point from this was to explore how we might include more school related information to help parents conduct their school search.

Wireframes & Key design principles

  • Wireframing: Despite what is perceived as a simple product, wireframes were created for both desktop and mobile devices, including all interactive and variant states to accommodate for any users. The primary objective through the wireframe design was to ensure our information hierarchy and flow of information meets the user's needs.

  • Key design principles: The website's design principles revolved around ensuring relevant information could be easily found by all users. For example, to ensure all calls to actions are clear and succinct that the destination or action meets the user's expectation.

  • UI Design: Working together with a dedicated UI designer, we worked to bring a refreshed look to the existing site. Everything from components to patterns were designed to meet device accessibility standards whilst maintaining a modernised look and feel. We also integrated the MACS branding and colours throughout the site to give back the identity it had previously lacked.

Outcomes

Through the redesign, the most important impact was the ability for MACS to engage schools within its organisation and encourage a consistent digital experience for prospective parents.

  • Opportunity to unify the initial contact parents have with schools within the MACS network.

  • Increased conversion for contacting prospective parents.

  • Future product development to include more school related information

  • More opportunity to promote school related events such as open days on the website.

Minho Baek

2025

Minho Baek

2025

Minho Baek

2025