MicroResist App

The Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) partnered with CACS to transform their legacy website into a dynamic, data-driven digital communication channel. CACS leveraged the Drupal content management system to provide an in-brand platform that also improved the content creation and editing experience.

 

Content Strategy & Design

Our first step was to co-develop a site structure and navigation scheme with VPR stakeholders. This new structure would bring office microsites under the VPR website umbrella. With this in mind, we created an architecture that met current needs and provided for future growth. Based on outcomes from strategy discussions, our designer created design mock-ups and we iterated based on feedback from stakeholders. Designing from a mobile-first perspective ensured the design would look great on any device.

UVA Brand elements

New UVA Brand Elements

In the Spring of 2019, University Communications released new treatments for various types of content. CACS integrated these elements into the VPR website and provided a tool set for content creators to add them to different sections of the site as needed. These elements heighten interest with color and whitespace.

 

Development

From the architecture and design documents, our developers built the site utilizing Drupal features such as content types, tagging, and views to build flexibility and content reusability into the site. Multiple content owners create and edit content within the VPR ecosystem.

 

Dynamic Content

Research-related UVAToday articles are used to elevate exposure and to keep the site fresh. CACS built an integration with UVAToday that ingests UVAToday content daily and displays it on the VPR site.

Another integration delivers Top Shelf, a list of books authored by UVA faculty.

 

Home page news feature