Strengthening alumni engagement with UX strategy

The CU Boulder Alumni website had accumulated years of legacy content, some dating back nearly a decade. While much of it remained valuable, a significant portion was outdated, redundant, or no longer aligned with current alumni priorities.

Analytics and content review revealed several structural challenges:

• Confusing URL and navigation structures that no longer reflected how alumni think or search
• High-value actions — such as volunteering, networking, updating contact information, and giving — scattered under vague labels like “Programs”
  CU Boulder Alumni Website Strat…
• Limited cross-referencing between related content, leading users to complete a single task and then leave
• Heavy reliance on external links, fragmenting the experience
• Inconsistent alignment between institutional goals and the way content was organized

Beyond user friction, the sprawl created editorial strain. Maintaining outdated and overlapping pages increased long-term governance burden and made it harder for the team to prioritize meaningful updates.

The Alumni Association needed a clearer, more intuitive structure — one grounded in research and analytics — that aligned content with alumni needs while supporting engagement, loyalty, and long-term sustainability.

Content Inventory & Audit

We conducted a comprehensive inventory and engagement analysis of the site’s content, identifying:

• Outdated and redundant pages
• High-performing content to prioritize
• Opportunities for consolidation
• Areas contributing to editorial burden

This created a clear roadmap for content cleanup and governance.

Competitive Research

We reviewed eight alumni association websites and analyzed three in greater depth, comparing navigation structures and engagement strategies.

Findings reinforced the importance of:

• Surfacing high-value calls to action
• Reducing friction in navigation
• Aligning structure with alumni motivations

Sitemap Redesign & Tree Testing

We mapped the existing navigation and developed a revised sitemap that:

• Replaced vague category labels with clearer, user-focused language
• Surfaced engagement actions under intuitive sections like Connect and Give Back
• Reduced reliance on external links
• Improved overall information hierarchy

To validate the structure, we conducted a two-week sitemap tree test, receiving almost 90 completed responses. User testing confirmed improved findability and task success. Based on results, we refined labels and groupings to further reduce confusion before delivering the final sitemap.