Requirements and Challenges
In 2019, UC Riverside launched a campus-wide initiative to migrate CMS platforms from OmniUpdate to Drupal, aiming to unify branding, accessibility, and governance across university websites. The project required alignment with campus standards, full accessibility compliance, and preservation of SEO performance throughout the transition.
Legacy content was restructured into Drupal’s content model, requiring a rethinking of information architecture, taxonomy, and page patterns to support long-term scalability. At the same time, the platform needed to empower non-technical staff with a flexible yet governed editing experience.
Managing redirects, integrating analytics for data-informed decisions, and ensuring uninterrupted access to critical student information added further complexity. This was not just a migration, but a comprehensive rebuild requiring thoughtful planning, technical precision, and clear governance.
strategy and deployment
My role was to translate UCR’s brand system into an experience that felt welcoming and intuitive. I led the migration from OmniUpdate to Drupal, navigating two content management systems with very different levels of flexibility, structure, and scalability. The transition was a strategic opportunity to redesign how content was modeled, governed, and delivered. I directed the rebuild from an architectural standpoint, restructuring content types, refining taxonomy, and establishing scalable page patterns that improved usability and long term maintainability. By aligning the CMS configuration with user needs and institutional standards, I ensured the platform could support future growth while remaining efficient, consistent, and easy to manage.
I utilized imagery that highlighted students in motion, facilities in use, and the overall campus atmosphere. The layouts were intentionally clear and intuitive, making it easy for visitors to quickly find hours, programs, memberships, and events. Every design decision balanced visual impact with usability, all while staying true to brand standards.
Beyond design and build, I own the ongoing health of the site. This includes:
- Maintaining accessibility standards to ensure the site is usable by everyone
- Applying SEO best practices so programs and services are easy to find
- Managing analytics to understand how users navigate the site and where improvements can be made
- Serving as a long-term steward of the platform as programs, content, and campus needs evolve
Results
The redevelopment of the UCR Recreation website went beyond a CMS migration, becoming an opportunity to build a scalable digital foundation for the department and campus community. Today, the site supports over half a million annual views and serves as a trusted resource for students, staff, and visitors.
By strengthening site architecture, improving accessibility, and implementing SEO, analytics, and governance standards, I helped create a platform that is sustainable, discoverable, and aligned with the university’s brand. The result is a website that reflects the energy of UCR Recreation while reliably supporting the people who depend on it every day.