Edison State’s Path to a Modern Digital Foundation | Whereoware

Challenge

For Edison State, the website was the hub that connected every audience the college serves. Prospective students relied on it to explore programs and apply. Parents turned to it for financial aid and class schedules. Faculty and staff needed it for tools and updates. Alumni and local businesses looked to it as a link to the broader community.

But the site, built on the aging Ektron platform, couldn’t keep up. Navigation was confusing, outdated content cluttered the experience, and accessibility was inconsistent. Students and families often abandoned their search or resorted to calling the college for answers. Meanwhile, staff were slowed by developer bottlenecks that made even routine updates cumbersome.

The result went beyond frustration — it risked enrollment growth, strained support resources, and weakened the college’s ability to deliver on its mission of supporting student outcomes and community ties.

Project Goals

Edison State’s mission is to provide students with the learning opportunities and support they need to achieve their goals and realize their dreams.

To live up to that promise, their website needed to actively support student success and community connection. This project was designed to:

Establish a modern, scalable foundation by replacing a legacy platform with a flexible system that could support growth and future needs.
Redesign navigation and content flow so students, parents, faculty, alumni, and local businesses could quickly find the information most relevant to them.
Strengthen accessibility and consistency to meet compliance standards and ensure an inclusive experience for all users.
Empower staff with greater independence to publish and manage content without relying on developers, eliminating bottlenecks and delays.

Industry

Higher Education

Enhanced Navigation and Content Discovery

The project started with research. We mapped user behavior and pain points, then rebuilt navigation around audience needs. Thousands of outdated pages were retired, and programs, classes, and resources were reorganized into clear, consistent paths. The same improvements extended into the college’s online catalogs, so students could find courses faster and parents had confidence they were accessing current information.

Modern Technical Foundation

We moved from Ektron to Drupal with Acquia Site Studio on Acquia Cloud. This gave the college a secure, scalable platform while freeing staff from developer reliance. With drag-and-drop tools and reusable components, teams could update content in real time, allowing the site to keep pace with institutional needs.

Elevated Design System

Accessibility and inclusion were front and center. Higher color contrast, modern typography, updated CTA treatments, and flexible templates created a consistent, compliant experience. Built-in design guardrails meant the Edison State team could publish confidently without compromising brand or usability.