HomeCase StudiesCelebrate UCI
Creating an Engaging Digital Experience for Celebrate UCI
The Celebrate UCI pages gave newly admitted students and their families a clearer, more engaging way to prepare for the event and explore what UC Irvine has to offer.
- Connected planning, accessibility and campus information
- Interactive academic exploration based on student interests
- Dedicated resources for students and families
- A framework for future Celebrate UCI events
INDUSTRY
Higher Education
TIMELINE
January 2025 - April 2025
ENGAGEMENT
Fixed-price event website expansion and custom interactive tool development
Highlights
- The UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions needed an engaging digital experience for Celebrate UCI, an event designed to welcome newly admitted students and help them envision life at the university.
- WebXd created a full set of event pages covering planning, accessibility, parking and directions, campus highlights, frequently asked questions, and other essential information for students and families.
- We designed the experience to feel exciting and celebratory while remaining consistent with the visual identity and structure of the existing UC Irvine Admissions website.
- The new page system was built with a timeless, reusable design so the admissions team can update content for future Celebrate UCI events without needing a complete redesign each year.
- We also developed an interactive majors quiz that helps students explore potential areas of study based on their interests and directs them to relevant majors and minors.
- The result is a cohesive, accessible, and easy-to-navigate event hub that helps admitted students plan their visit, explore academic opportunities, and feel more connected to UC Irvine before arriving on campus.
About the UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions helps prospective and newly admitted students explore the university, understand the application and enrollment process, and prepare for life as an Anteater. Its website connects students and families with information about academic programs, campus life, financial aid, admissions requirements, events, and resources for making a confident college decision.
Services Performed
- UX/UI design
- Interactive quiz development
- Event landing page development
The Challenge
The UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions needed a digital experience for Celebrate UCI that felt exciting enough for newly admitted students while still fitting seamlessly within the university’s existing admissions website.
- Balancing consistency with excitement: The event pages needed to follow the established UCI Admissions brand and website structure without feeling like ordinary informational pages.
- A large amount of event information: Students and families needed quick access to schedules, campus highlights, accessibility details, parking, directions, FAQs, and planning resources.
- Different user needs: Newly admitted students, parents, and guests often look for different information, so the experience needed to be easy to navigate for a broad audience.
- Future reuse: The design needed to remain relevant for future Celebrate UCI events so the admissions team would not have to redesign the experience each year.
- Academic exploration: Students also needed a more engaging way to explore majors and minors as they considered their academic path at UC Irvine.
- Accessibility and usability: The event experience needed to work clearly across devices and support visitors with different accessibility needs.
The Solution
WebXd created a cohesive Celebrate UCI event hub that combined on-brand design, clear information architecture, reusable page systems, and interactive tools.
- Branded event experience: We designed the pages to feel celebratory and welcoming while remaining consistent with the existing UCI Admissions website.
- Comprehensive event content: We developed dedicated pages for the main event, FAQs, campus highlights, accessibility information, parking and directions, day-of planning, and other visitor resources.
- Clear user journeys: We organized the content so students and families could quickly find the information most relevant to their visit.
- Timeless, reusable design: We created a flexible visual and content framework that can be updated for future Celebrate UCI events without requiring a full redesign.
- Interactive majors quiz: We developed a custom quiz that recommends areas of study based on student interests and connects users to the Majors and Minors page for further exploration.
- Responsive and accessible implementation: We built the experience to work smoothly across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices while following accessibility-conscious design practices.
The Results
The Celebrate UCI pages gave newly admitted students and their families a clearer, more engaging way to prepare for the event and explore what UC Irvine has to offer.
A more cohesive event experience
The new event hub brought important Celebrate UCI information into one connected experience, making it easier for visitors to move between planning details, campus highlights, accessibility resources, FAQs, and day-of information.
Stronger engagement with academic options
The majors quiz gave students a more interactive way to explore possible fields of study based on their interests. By connecting quiz results to the Majors and Minors page, the experience encouraged deeper exploration of UCI’s academic programs.
Easier planning for students and families
Clearer navigation and dedicated event pages helped reduce friction around common questions such as where to park, how to get around campus, what to expect, and how to plan the day.
A reusable framework for future events
The timeless design and flexible page system allow the Admissions team to update Celebrate UCI content for future years without needing to start over with a full redesign.
A stronger welcome for admitted students
The finished experience feels celebratory, useful, and consistent with the broader UCI Admissions website, helping newly admitted students feel informed, supported, and more connected to the university before they arrive on campus.
Event hub
connected planning, accessibility and campus information
Majors quiz
interactive academic exploration based on student interests
Clearer planning
dedicated resources for students and families
Reusable
a framework for future Celebrate UCI events
What This Means for Your Institution
Recurring events like admitted-student days often get rebuilt from scratch every year, which wastes budget and time. A reusable, on-brand page system solves that: you invest once and update content annually, while keeping a polished, accessible experience. Add an interactive tool like a majors quiz, and the event page stops being a brochure and starts helping students engage with what your institution offers. For admissions and enrollment teams, that combination of efficiency and engagement is exactly what these moments call for.
FAQs
Why build a reusable page system for a recurring university event?
Recurring events happen every year, so rebuilding the pages each time wastes budget and staff time. A reusable, on-brand framework lets your team update content annually while keeping a consistent, accessible, polished experience. You invest once and reuse it.
How does an interactive quiz help admitted students?
A majors quiz gives students an engaging, low-pressure way to explore fields of study based on their interests. By connecting results to relevant programs, it encourages deeper exploration and helps students picture their academic path, which supports their decision to enroll.
How do you make an event experience exciting but still on-brand?
By keeping the university's established design system and structure while adding celebratory, welcoming elements within it. The result feels special and distinct without breaking from the broader site, so it strengthens the brand rather than competing with it.
How long does a university event website project take?
The Celebrate UCI hub, including custom quiz development, ran from January to April 2025 on a fixed-price contract. Timelines depend on the number of pages, the complexity of any interactive tools, and how much content needs to be developed.
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