Case studyTurning 100+ online programs into one clear decision journey.
UCF Online had scale, credibility, and more than a hundred programs. It had no clear path for a prospective student to choose one. We built the story, the website, and the conversion strategy that turned the catalog into a guided path, then carried the same system into landing pages and recruitment email.
- Disciplines
- Story + Brand, Design + Technology, Marketing
- Scope
- Strategy, information architecture, design system, conversion
- Reach
- All 50 states and dozens of countries
- Status
- Live today
- No. 6
- Best Online Bachelor's in the U.S., 2026
- Top 10
- Eight consecutive years
- 100+
- Fully online programs
The problem
A hundred programs, and no clear way to choose.
The legacy experience gave dense copy, proof points, a multi-step form, and several calls to action the same weight. It asked for commitment before it had created clarity.
- 01
Conversion came first
The form dominated before the program had earned interest.
- 02
Everything competed
Program facts, rankings, careers, and contact details shared one level.
- 03
The next step was unclear
Several valid actions existed, but no path helped a student choose.
The decision model
Start with what people need to decide.
Research and journey auditing became prioritized user stories. That gave the team a shared model for deciding what belonged, what came first, and what could wait.
- 01
Find the right degree
Organize 100+ programs around how prospective students actually search.
- 02
Know if it fits
Surface value, credibility, cost, and format before asking for a conversion.
- 03
See the next step
Create one clear route from interest to information, support, and application.
The web system
Turn a catalog into a guided path.
The new architecture created clear entry points by degree level and area of interest, then carried that hierarchy into every program page.
What does the person on the other side of this page need to make a decision?
Beyond the website
Carry the same hierarchy into every message.
The system extended into recruitment email: speak directly to the student, establish one primary action, and use secondary content to deepen the decision.
- 01
One primary action
Every message establishes one unmistakable next step.
- 02
Content with hierarchy
Primary, secondary, and supporting content each have a clear role.
- 03
The student is the hero
Copy speaks to you and leads with the decision being made.
The outcome
A system that still works years later.
The architecture and design system remain in use. UCF Online has since risen from outside the top 15 to No. 6 in the nation for Best Online Bachelor's Programs, its highest ranking ever.
The lasting value was a system built around the person making the decision, with enough structure to scale across programs and channels.
- No. 6
- Best Online Bachelor's in the U.S.
- 8 years
- Consecutively ranked in the Top 10
- Live
- The core system remains in use today
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