University website redesigns are rarely simple. They involve multiple audiences, distributed content ownership, accessibility requirements, and deep integrations with campus systems. Over time, even well-built sites can become difficult to navigate, inconsistent across departments, and hard to maintain.

When this happens, the result is fragmented content, frustrated users, and teams that struggle to keep the site accurate and up to date. A redesign is an opportunity to address these issues at their root, not just update the visual design.

Understanding the Challenge

Most universities come to us with a combination of challenges:

• Navigation that no longer reflects how users actually look for information
• Content spread across departments with inconsistent structure and quality
• Accessibility gaps that are difficult to track and resolve
• Systems that do not integrate cleanly, leading to duplication and outdated content
• A platform that has become difficult for teams to manage over time

These issues are interconnected. Addressing them effectively requires a coordinated approach across user experience, design, and engineering.

Our Approach

We approach university website redesigns as a structured, collaborative process focused on clarity, usability, and long-term sustainability.

Discovery and Research

We begin by understanding your institution, your audiences, and how your current site is performing. This may include stakeholder interviews, analytics review, and user research such as surveys or usability testing.

Information Architecture

We reorganize content around how users actually think and navigate, not how departments are structured. This improves findability and reduces friction.

User Experience and Interface Design

We design clear, accessible interfaces and flexible design systems that support a wide range of content types. Learn more about our approach to [Higher Education Web Design].

Development and Integration

We build platforms that connect with campus systems such as course catalogs, directories, events, and news. These integrations ensure that content remains accurate and consistent across systems.

Accessibility and Quality Assurance

Accessibility is built into the process from the start. We design and test against WCAG standards to ensure the site is usable for all audiences.

What This Looks Like in Practice

• Reorganizing navigation around user needs
• Consolidating and structuring content across departments
• Designing systems that support distributed publishing
• Integrating with campus systems to reduce duplication and improve accuracy
• Establishing patterns and standards that scale over time

Platforms and Systems

We work in both Drupal and WordPress, selecting the platform based on the needs of the institution.

• Drupal is often a strong fit for large, structured, multi-department environments
• WordPress can be effective for institutions that need flexibility with a streamlined editorial experience

We also support robust search implementations, including platforms like Algolia, to improve content discovery across large sites.

Designed for Distributed Ownership

University websites are rarely managed by a single team. Content is created and maintained across departments with varying levels of experience.

We design systems that support this reality, including governance approaches that help maintain consistency while allowing teams to work effectively.

Why Universities Choose Black Antelope

• Over a decade working with institutions like UC Berkeley
• Deep expertise in accessibility and WCAG compliance
• Experience with large, decentralized content ecosystems
• Strong balance of design, engineering, and systems thinking
• Focus on long-term sustainability, not just launch

Outcomes

A successful university website redesign results in:

• Clearer navigation and improved findability
• More consistent and maintainable content
• Better alignment between user needs and institutional goals
• Improved accessibility and compliance
• Systems that are easier to manage and extend over time