Challenge
The ISS National Lab website redesign aimed to enhance user engagement, improve content accessibility, and strengthen its role as a central platform for space research communication and opportunities. The project focused on:
- Increasing visibility and engagement through a streamlined site structure and optimized content.
- Creating a more intuitive and user-friendly navigation structure tailored to researchers, educators, and the general public.
- Supporting the growing need for resources on research in space and fostering collaboration across disciplines.
Solution
Activated Growth took a strategic, insight-driven approach, beginning with an in-depth discovery phase. This included sessions with 33 ISS National Lab stakeholders, a review of industry partners and competitors, and an analysis of Google Analytics data. From these insights, we developed a comprehensive strategic plan outlining key priorities, audience personas, and content optimization strategies.
Working closely with the ISS National Lab team, we redesigned the website with a focus on intuitive navigation, user engagement strategies, SEO best practices, and mobile optimization. Key improvements included audience self-segmentation, enhanced interactive elements, and technical optimizations to boost site performance and speed.
Results
The redesigned ISS National Lab website has set the stage for measurable improvements in engagement, usability, and search performance. With a more intuitive structure and streamlined navigation, users can now easily explore over 3,000 pages of content, quickly finding the information most relevant to their needs and communicates clear next steps for the user. The enhanced site architecture allows for audience self-segmentation, guiding researchers, educators, and the public to tailored resources with ease.
For the ISS National Lab team, website maintenance has been significantly simplified. A structured content management system, along with thoughtfully designed templates incorporating best practices, empowers the internal team to efficiently update, expand, and manage content. This ensures consistency in design, functionality, and messaging while keeping the site a dynamic and evolving resource for space research.
Award Recognition
Our work on the ISS National Lab website earned Activated Growth a Gold AVA Digital Award, recognizing excellence in digital communication and creativity.
Deliverables
- Strategic Planning – Conducted stakeholder insight sessions, competitive analysis, and review of website analytics and internal reports to define audience personas and key website requirements.
- Website Audit & Assessment – Evaluated site performance, functionality, and user experience to identify areas for improvement.
- Requirement Planning and Site Architecture – Prioritized stakeholder needs, outlined navigation and page hierarchy, and developed a detailed site map.
- Content Strategy & Creation– Partnered with subject matter experts to develop compelling, research-driven content and CTA’s.
- Visual Refresh– Designed intuitive, visually engaging home page and page templates with responsive layouts.
- User Experience Enhancements – Implemented a visual, intuitive navigation and designed visual mega menus to make it easy for users to find the content they need.
- SEO Optimization– Applied a strategic SEO approach and technical best practices to increase organic search traffic.
- Mobile Optimization– Ensured a fully responsive design for seamless access across devices and browsers.