COURSEWORK - DECEMBER 2024
Making Montessori Feel Approachable and
Reassuring for Today’s Parents.
ROLE
Lead Designer
TIMELINE
1 week
KEY SKILLS
Web Design, Sitemap
TOOL
Figma
PROBLEM
Outdated design and unclear messaging made it difficult for parents to comprehend the Montessori philosophy and trust the school’s approach to early education
When I was looking for a website to redesign, I remembered something my mom (who is a Montessori teacher) often says. Many parents don’t really understand what the Montessori approach is. That stuck with me, so I chose to redesign the first point of contact most parents have when exploring a school: the website.
SOLUTION
Enhanced usability by implementing clear navigation and improving content readability and engagement.
WHITE PAPER RESEARCH
A Way to Win 95% of Parents’ Trust Instinctively
To guide my redesign, I looked into psychology and UX research to see how parents make decisions about their child's early education. Using insights like subconscious decision-making, keeping choices simple, and making information easy to find, I aimed to build trust and make the site user-friendly. During my deep dive about this topic, I found an intuitive article written by Gerald Zaltman from Harvard University:
"…up to 95% of purchasing decisions happen subconsciously" (Zaltman, 2003) .
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS + THE GAP
Outdated Competitors, Untapped Opportunity
With the above statistic in mind, I looked at two nearby Montessori schools: one private, one public. Both were highly rated, but their websites felt outdated and difficult to navigate. They didn’t reflect the quality of the schools or build the kind of trust parents look for. And with modern parents relying on online research more than ever, that first digital impression really counts. That’s when I saw the gap: even great schools were missing the chance to connect meaningfully through thoughtful, up-to-date design.
PERSONA: A MILLENIAL MOTHER
Sarah Liu
Marketing Manager
Age: 34
Family: 2 kids, one ready for preschool
Tech Proficiency: Moderate
Gender: Female
GOALS
Find a nurturing, values-aligned Montessori school
Understand the school’s teaching philosophy easily
Stay informed about school events and community involvement
FRUSTRATIONS
Overwhelmed by outdated school websites
Hard-to-find key information like programs and philosophy
Lack of emotional connection or reassurance from the site
MY PROCESS
① User Research
Talked to parents, including 1 interview and a survey with over 20 responses.
Asked questions like: "What do you look for in a school website?" and "What makes you feel confident in a school?"
Studied behavioral research, including Zaltman’s 95% subconscious decision-making, Hick’s Law, and Parkinson’s Law.
② Insights
Parents look for emotional reassurance as much as information
Most decide whether to explore further within seconds of landing on the homepage
Trust is built through clear messaging, a calm visual tone, and easy navigation
③ Design Solutions
Prioritized key content parents actually care about: “Why Choose Us,” Testimonials, FAQs, Events, and Philosophy
Used more calming shades of the current colour palette, soft typography, and friendly layout to reflect Montessori values
Restructured the homepage to guide parents smoothly through discovering and trusting the school
④ Testing & Iteration
Shared the prototype with peers and received feedback from my professor
Refined CTA buttons to be more action-oriented
Adjusted section headings for tone and readability, ensuring parents could quickly scan and understand key points
SITEMAP COMPARISON
The Path to a Successful Parent Experience
The old sitemap lacked detail and missed using subpages where needed, leaving important info all over the place. The redesigned sitemap introduces well-organized subpages to break down content clearly, making it easier for parents to find what they’re looking for and feel confident in the school’s offerings.
3 MAIN IMPROVEMENTS
Redesigned Homepage Flow
↳ Reorganized content so parents see the most important info first: school values, community events, and FAQs
Clear Messaging for Trust
Added a “Why Choose Us” section and updated copy to reflect credibility, and reassurance
Simplified Navigation
Grouped related pages and reduced clutter to help parents find what they need quickly
KEY LEARNINGS / REFLECTION
What I'd do Differently Next Time
↳ I would’ve loved to conduct testing with real parents instead of relying mainly on peer/professor feedback. Their lived experiences would have added
more depth to the design choices. I also would have made it responsive on Figma if I had the opportunity.
↳ Due to time constraints, I was unable to ideate a variety of low fidelity prototypes - I kind of went head on with this project without sketching different layouts. Because of this, I sometimes found it challenging to execute the ideas I pictured in my brain. In future projects, I’ll definitely take more time to explore layout possibilities through methods like Crazy 8s or even just simple sketching!
The Final Design
NOTE: WE WERE ONLY TASKED TO CREATE 3 WORKING PAGES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT [Home, About → Staff, Contact us]
(BEST TO VIEW ON FULL SCREEN)
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