UM Poverty Solutions. A website redesign with a cause.

Timeline

8 mo.

Discipline

research, ux/ ui

ux researcher,
sole ux designer, project manager

Role

Tools

figma, miro,
adobe cs,
canva

A UX audit of UM Poverty Solutions.

Poverty Solutions is a University of Michigan initiative dedicated to advancing research-driven policy solutions and leveraging academic expertise to address the root causes of poverty.

To improve content discoverability, navigation, and overall usability, I conducted a website audit that revealed key pain points in how key users navigate and find information.

My redesign focused on improving clarity, reducing cognitive load, and helping all users quickly access the information that matters most to them.

At a Glance…

Project Planning & Scoping

  • Stakeholder Mapping

  • Comparative Analysis

  • Google Analytics Review

  • Defined Research Goals & Focus Areas

  • Research Materials Prep & Recruitment

User Research

  • Survey Distribution

  • Usability Tests on Current Site

  • Semi-structured Interviews

  • Card Sorting

  • Analysis & Synthesis

Designing & Prototyping

  • Sketching

  • Low-Fidelity Wireframes & Iteration

  • Mid- & High-Fidelity Interactive

  • Prototypes/ Iteration

Evaluation & Finalization

  • User Testing of High-Fidelity Prototype

  • A/B testing against Existing Site

  • Integrated Client/ Peer Feedback

  • Design Refinements

  • Client Handoff

Research Methods and Insights

  • Purpose: Explored stakeholder needs and expectations through semi-structured interviews.

    Recurring Themes:

    • Navigation Confusion: Categories like “Key Issues” and “Data Tools” were too broad.

    • Outdated Content: Reduced credibility (e.g., “2024 Election Issues Guide”).

    • User-Specific Needs:

      • Policymakers: Clearer collaboration guidance.

      • Students: More prominent research opportunities.

    • Visual Design: Dated and cluttered layout.

  • Purpose: Simulated real-world tasks to identify navigation challenges.

    Challenges Identified:

    • Homepage Design: Cluttered, too long, and overwhelming for users. No clear introduction to what the organization does.

    • Values Section: Hard to locate.

    • Research Reports: Mixed success in finding specific reports.

    • Upcoming Events Section: Overlooked due to lack of prominence.

    • Search Functionality: Inconsistent results, lack of filtering options, lack of metadata, and no spelling tolerance to handle typos.

    • Ease of Overall Navigation: Participants lacked clear sense of direction, often confused by how they got to a specific page or how to find a page they were just on

  • Purpose: Provided insight on information architecture based on user input.

    Insights:

    • Category Ambiguity: Labels like “Key Issues” and “Data Tools” were unclear.

    • Overlapping Content: Users expected certain resources in multiple categories.

    • Action-Oriented Labels: Users preferred descriptive, purpose-driven labels.

  • Purpose: Collected broad feedback on navigation and satisfaction.

    Survey Highlights:

    • User Roles: Researchers (42.9%), policymakers (14.3%), students (14.3%).

    • Frequency of Visits: 71.4% visit monthly.

    • Ease of Finding Information: 42.9% rated it neutral (3/5).

    • Suggestions:

      • Add a “Poverty 101” page for beginners.

      • Improve visual design and font consistency.

  • Purpose:  Used to identify usability issues in a system by evaluating it against established principles of good design.

    1. Visibility of System Status

    • Issue: Key content like “Values” hard to locate.

      • Potential Fix: Consolidate org descriptions into one section.

    2. Match Between System and the Real World

    • Issue: Site name misleads users into thinking it's for individuals in poverty.

      • Potential Fix: Add clear purpose statement on homepage.

    • Issue: Nav labels like “Data Tools” are confusing.

      • Potential Fix: Refine and reorganize labels.

    3. Consistency and Standards

    • Issue: Inconsistent button styles made actions unclear.

      • Potential Fix: Standardize interactive elements with distinct styles and placement.

    4. Recognition Rather Than Recall

    • Issue: Users forgot where to find information due to lack of visual cues and discoverability.

      • Potential Fix: Add persistent navigation cues and contextual hints.

User Personas

From the conducted research, it was determined that users generally fell into 1 of 2 categories:

1. The New/ Infrequent User: those unfamiliar with the site who often arrive with a specific goal or question but struggle to locate the information they need

2. The Seasoned User: those regularly accesses specific information, research, data, or tools — and needs a way to streamline access

User Persona 2

A moodboard that combines community, warmth, and purpose.

01: Developing a More Impactful & Informative Homepage

In line with what users reported during testing, the homepage was re-designed to properly orient site visitors and to provide faster access to vital information:

  • Simplified layout to reduce cognitive overload and highlight key resources.

  • Clearer navigation with more intuitive labels.

  • Prioritized featured research and news to increase visibility.

  • Actionable CTAs to boost engagement.

02: A Refined Search Function thatProvides Descriptive, Filtered Results

Because the current site lacks filtering and sorting options, users found it difficult to complete tasks using the search feature. To address this and other search-related issues, the search experience was redesigned with:

  • Added publish date, content type, category, CTA, and thumbnail to each result for quick scanning.

  • Introduced left-side filters with checkboxes and dynamic filter chips for clarity and control.

  • Displayed total number of results and added typo-tolerant search suggestions.

  • Integrated a user feedback form to report search issues—supporting ongoing refinement.

  • Designed a more intuitive, responsive layout to help users find relevant content faster.

03: Simplified Site Navigation through Better Design

The original site structure made it difficult for users to locate key content quickly. To improve clarity and ease of use, the navigation was redesigned with more intuitive labels, simplified categories, and clear entry points tailored to both new and returning visitors.

  • Restructured the main navigation menu with clearer, user-informed labels

  • Consolidated and simplified category groupings to reduce decision fatigue

  • Created consistent structures across key content pages

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