5-person cross-functional team
2 years+
2000+ websites unified
Helping to Unify Thousands of University Websites
The Challenge
Harvard University had thousands of websites across schools and departments, each with inconsistent design patterns and significant accessibility barriers.
The Process
Conducted comprehensive audit of existing digital properties
Built unified design system in Figma with accessibility-first components
Established governance framework and training programs
Led cross-functional adoption across university departments
The Solution
Leading the User Experience team, I helped create the HarvardSites Design System as a robust, accessibility-first foundation for all Harvard University web properties.
The system was meticulously crafted to accommodate the university’s diverse branding requirements and digital ecosystem, ensuring every school and department could maintain their unique identity while benefiting from unified best practices.
Component Library: Developed an extensive, reusable library of UI components in Figma and Storybook, designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards out of the box.
Flexible Theming: Built-in support for multiple Harvard schools, enabling each to adapt colors, typography, and logos within consistent design boundaries.
Comprehensive Guidelines: Authored clear documentation detailing usage, content strategy, accessibility requirements, and visual branding rules, making it intuitive and easy for non-designers to adopt.
Governance & Enablement: Established ongoing governance processes and training programs, empowering distributed teams to implement, evolve, and maintain the system effectively.
The Results
Unified visual identity across all university web properties
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance achieved by default
Development time reduced by 60% for new site creation
Editorial workflows streamlined with structured content approach
Key Insights
This project reinforced that successful design systems are fundamentally about people and processes, not just components. The governance framework and training were as crucial as the technical implementation.
Let's Build Something Better!
Ready to transform your digital design process with accessible, scalable systems?