Case Study — Columbia University

Columbia University: Data Science Design

Problem
The university’s new data science initiative needed to establish strong industry partnerships but was technically limited by their existing website capabilities.
Action
Designed and scaled interactive websites tailored for the initiative, optimizing for user engagement and fostering academia-industry collaboration.
Result
Grew affiliate partnerships by 600%, expanding from 3 to over 20 major sponsors, significantly boosting the initiative’s industry reach and revenue potential.
Industry Affiliates Program one-sheet for Columbia’s Data Science Institute held against the Manhattan skyline, promoting the industry website, private events and affiliate benefits.

Challenge

When data science was introduced at Columbia University, part of Mayor Bloomberg’s grant required a public and private facing website for industry + academia interaction.

Response

I created and grew a multi-user CMS website that connected industry partners to the faculty and students at Columbia University.

The iterative user experience (UX) process I used was based on design thinking (discover, define, design, develop), including UX methodologies: stakeholder interviews, comparative reviews, content audits, card sorts, information architecture, personas, sketches, wireframes, visual design, web development, user testing and website maintenance.

UX personas for the Data Science Institute website: industry partner, faculty and student archetypes with goals and behaviors.
Content strategy map for the site: sections, content types and publishing workflow.

User research guided the feature requirements. Authenticated users had extended access to the website, including a private file library, exclusive video conferences and direct access to faculty interaction. Public access showcased program research (ex. Bloomberg + Columbia) and had curated content feeds: news, events and videos.

Data Science Industry website: affiliates page with a logo grid of corporate partners including Bloomberg, Cisco and Goldman Sachs.
Website page featuring Bloomberg-sponsored research at the institute.
Recruiting page connecting industry affiliates with data science students.
Students page showcasing profiles and capstone work.
Research centers overview page.
Cybersecurity research center page.
Faculty profile page in the computer science section.
Computer science research listing page.
Event page for a 2017 institute industry symposium.
Members-only event video archive page.
Three laptops running the Data Science Institute site: Bloomberg-sponsored natural-language research feature, patent-analysis research page and faculty research sidebar.
Three laptops running the Data Science Institute site: Bloomberg-sponsored natural-language research feature, patent-analysis research page and faculty research sidebar.