Community Spotlight: Yale Chemistry Department

Screenshot of Yale Chemistry Department's homepage

With a community of nearly 400 people, Yale’s Chemistry Department is a powerhouse of teaching and research. Tasked with communicating its academic programs, research, and core facilities to multiple audiences, Charlyn Paradis used the new YaleSites platform to transform the department website into a dynamic, user-centered experience. 

Paradis, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, led the effort. She notes “the old site really read like and acted like a Word document. There was no real great way to separate information or call out important details. It felt like users needed to learn our website to understand where to find things.”  

The transition from Drupal 7 marked a major shift. The new site organizes content more visually and logically using Spotlight Blocks, Custom Cards, Quick Links, Views and Tagging.  

In thinking about the journey of the prospective student trying to learn about a potential PI, I asked myself, ‘How would they get a sense of the research, collaboration, and lab culture?’ The view feed component with tags is great for this. For example, I’ve incorporated a news feed on each professor’s bio page. The articles, which highlight the lab’s research and awards, tell a story of what it is like to be a member of this group.

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Charlyn Paradis, Public Affairs and Communications Manager 

The department’s transition to the new platform was supported by a thorough content audit and detailed planning process. Paradis reviewed every page of the existing site, shifting the tone from institutional (“we”) to user-focused (“you”) and mapped the entire structure in a comprehensive Excel sheet. This preparation helped identify where content lived and whether its placement made sense from a user perspective, laying a clear foundation for an intuitive, well-organized rebuild. 

Master Your Content Audit

Learn step-by-step how to evaluate, organize, and improve your content with our training guide.

How to Conduct a Content Audit

Working with Pam Patterson and Chao Lu on our previous site was very beneficial. To work with web developers and understand where they’re coming from was illuminating—a meeting of two different worlds. They introduced me to ideas I didn’t know about and helped me learn different approaches to sharing content.

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Charlyn Paradis, Public Affairs and Communications Manager 

To ensure the site met the needs of its varied audiences, Paradis conducted usability testing with stakeholders representing different perspectives, including administrative staff, current students, and individuals acting as prospective students. She asked each participant to complete specific tasks while narrating their thought process, recording the sessions via Zoom. This approach provided valuable insights into how users interacted with the site and revealed areas for improvement from multiple viewpoints.

User Experience & Journey Testing Resources

Learn more about understanding your users at Yale’s Usability site.

To keep the site engaging over time, Paradis plans to regularly update its visuals and content. She has scheduled periodic reviews to refresh photos and adjust color themes to ensure the site remains visually dynamic and avoids becoming stale. 

Visit the Chemistry Department site to explore how strategic design and organization support a vibrant academic community on YaleSites.