Embedded Files
Case study:
Making immigration information
accessible for all international users
International students, visiting scholars and employees couldn't find critical visa and work authorization information
The University of Rochester's International Services Office (ISO) serves 4,000+ international students who need to navigate complex U.S. immigration requirements. When students can't find answers about visa renewals, work permits, or travel restrictions, they miss deadlines and risk their immigration status.
The ISO website was stuck in an unsupported template while the rest of the University had already moved into a managed WordPress template. The ISO site needed new information architecture and plain language as well as a project manager to move the project forward.
Business context
4,000+ international students, visitng scholars and employees depend on the site for time-sensitive immigration guidance.
The ISO website migration had been stalled for 4 years while the rest of the university had been moved to a WordPress template.
Students reported critical information was difficult to find and legal information was very difficult to understand.
Legal requirements meant we couldn't simplify all content but had to make dense information navigable.
My role
Project Manager & Content Strategist. I scoped the work, translated an existing audit into actionable strategy, managed stakeholders and delivered all files ready and legally correct for launch on the new site.
Understanding the problem
2. Redesigning information architecture
3 Clarifying legal information
4. Managing stakeholder alignment
5. Results
[Visual: Top visited page was from a browser search the general public used when looking for an immigration document.
Second, the Homepage. Third, Contact becuase they couldn't find what they needed.]
Understanding the problem
Quantifying user pain points
I analyzed site analytics and conducted user interviews to identify where students got stuck:
Top pain point: Students couldn't distinguish between "F-1 visa requirements" and "F-1 work authorization"—similar-sounding pages with critical differences
Navigation failures: 68% of users visited 4+ pages before finding target information
Bounce rate on legal pages: 73% (university average: 42%)
Success metrics we defined:
Increase time-on-page for legal content (indicating comprehension, not frustration)
Improve user satisfaction scores
[Visual: Before/after showing old topic-based vs. new population-based navigation]
2. Redesign of information architecture
Top navigation changed from topic-oriented to population-oriented
It better matches how university audiences identify themselves, reduces cognitive load for first-time users, and supports end-to-end service journeys that span multiple topics (e.g., immigration, employment, taxes).
New information architecture:
Organizing content by population (student, scholar, departments, etc) allows for:
Scalability and flexibility: Each population receives tailored content relevant to their needs (e.g., F-1 visa information for students, H-1B guidance for employees), reducing confusion and improving content discoverability
Reduction of missed legal requirements and compliance risks
This reduced navigation depth from 4 levels to 2.
[Visual: Example of how I edited each page to plain language, human sounding (no jargon), using active voice (easier to understand), and a check for accessibility.]
3. Clarifying legal information
Plain language for high-stakes information
Immigration content must be legally accurate AND understandable. I rewrote using federal plain language guidelines:
Before:
"F-1 students engaged in curricular practical training must receive prior authorization from their designated school official before commencing employment."
After:
"Before you start CPT work, get approval from your international student advisor. Starting work without approval violates your F-1 status."
Writing constraints:
Preserve legal accuracy (reviewed by immigration attorneys).
Keep most important page information visible and clear.
Maintain professional tone while sounding human and helpful.
4. Managing stakeholder alignment
Solving the 4-year stall
Why this project was stuck:
Before I started, there was no project management to coordinate between ISO staff, the University Digital Services team, and legal subject matter experts.
There was no UX design skill set available. The team knew they needed an update but there was no clear success criteria.
How I unblocked it:
Facilitated a kickoff meeting to align on what the goals were for the project, what was in scope and out of scope.
Created a detailed project timeline with milestones tied to a launch before fall semester of the academic calendar.
Ultimately delivered new information architecture for menu structure and WordPress-ready files that Digital Services could implement.
The new site successfully launched 10 months after I joined the project.
5. Results
Measured impact after the new site went live:
Reduced clicks-to-information: From 4 average clicks to 2 (50% improvement).
User satisfaction scores: Increased from 2.3/5 to 4.1/5.
Bounce rate on legal pages: Decreased from 73% to 51%.
Student feedback: "I actually understand what I need to do now" (user testing quote).
My final deliverables prepared for Digital Services:
Complete content audit with migration recommendations.
New sitemap and navigation structure.
100+ pages of rewritten, launch-ready content.
Style guide for future content updates.
Feedback from the Associate Vice President for Digital Strategy:
"You've done a tremendous job getting us to this stage. It's been a great collaboration, and I've really enjoyed partnering with you."
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