UVA VPR Redesign

Project Overview

Led the complete redesign and restructuring of the University of Virginia's Vice President for Research (VPR) digital ecosystem, transforming a complex multisite environment into a streamlined, hierarchical platform serving the university's research community.

Role(s)

• UX/UI Designer

• Lead Drupal Developer

Challenge

The VPR office faced several critical challenges:

• Complex Infrastructure

  • Overcomplicated multisite management system

  • Inefficient content governance

  • Limited scalability for new programs

  • Challenging feature implementation

• Technical Limitations

  • Fragmented URL structure

  • Inconsistent user experiences

  • Limited template flexibility

  • Complex content management workflows

Main VPR Site

• External-facing landing page

• Researcher portal

• Program directories

• Resource libraries

Specialized Microsites

• Sponsored Programs (OSP)

• Research Security

• Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)

• Animal Care & Use

• Environmental Health & Safety

• Compliance & Training

• Research Development

Domain Structure

Level One:   research.virginia.edu/
Level Two:   ├── compliance.research.virginia.edu
Level Three: │   ├── compliance.research.virginia.edu/Training
             │   ├── compliance.research.virginia.edu/CUI
Level Four:  │   └── compliance.research.virginia.edu/CUI/forms
Level Two:   ├── animalcare.research.virginia.edu/
Level Three: │   ├── animalcare.research.virginia.edu/acuc
             │   ├── animalcare.research.virginia.edu/oaw
Level Four:  │   └── animalcare.research.virginia.edu/oaw/training

Header System

• UVA Research logo with Office of the Vice President for Research subtitle

• Global navigation with Search and Give buttons

• Mobile-responsive menu system

• Consistent branding across all subsites

Homepage Components

• Hero section with mission statement

• Key metrics display (R&D Expenditures, Research Awards, Proposal Activity)

• Leadership profile section

• News and updates grid

• Quick links to key resources

• Video integration for research spotlights

Content Card System

• Department cards with consistent styling

• News article cards

• Event cards

• Resource cards

• Contact information cards

Typography

• Primary Headlines: University serif font

• Body Text: Clean sans-serif for readability

• Hierarchical structure using size and weight

Grid System

• Responsive 12-column layout

• Consistent spacing metrics

• Flexible container widths

• Mobile-first breakpoints

Color Palette

• Primary: UVA Navy (#232D4B)

• Secondary: UVA Orange (#E57200)

• Accent Blues (#2B6CB0, #3182CE)

• Neutral grays for content areas

• White space for readability

Core Components

• Stats Block Module

• Mosaic Layout System

• Text/Video Split Layout

• Event Listing Component

• People Filtering System

• Customizable Button & Link System

• Slim Masthead Banner

• Emergency Alert Module

• UVAToday Tags Integration

• PDF/Document Upload System

Template System

• General Template (Base System)

• Site-Specific Custom Templates

• Landing Page Templates

• Subpage Templates

• Advanced Table UI

• Video Page Layout

• People Directory Layout

Performance Metrics

• User Engagement: 52.63% increase in monthly site visits (from 19,000 to 29,000 visitors)

• Page Load Time: Reduced from 4.2s to 2.1s

• Mobile Usage: 60% increase in mobile visitors

• User Satisfaction: 92/100 usability score

• Accessibility Score: WCAG AA Compliant 90.9 score (SiteImprove)

User Benefits

• Simplified navigation

• Consistent user experience

• Improved content discovery

• Mobile-responsive design

Technical Achievements

• Streamlined multisite architecture

• Improved content management workflow

• Enhanced security controls

• Better resource organization

Administrative Improvements

• Centralized governance

• Streamlined content updates

• Better access controls

• Enhanced monitoring capabilities