Nuts &
Bolts
Timeline
January 2023 to present
Project Scope
Design, development, documentation and ongoing management of the University of Tennessee Web Design System (WDS) WordPress theme.
CMS
WordPress
Third-Party Integrations
Slate
UT Knoxville's path to comprehensive WDS adoption
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, like many universities, has historically operated in a cycle where they would tear down and rebuild their main website every 4-6 years. When the custom WordPress theme they had developed for colleges and units started showing its age, the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) wanted to do things differently.
Chris Echols, Director of Digital Communications, described the evolution of their strategy:
“So our thought process turned to, ‘How can we build these tools? How can we train our campus partners? How can we build stronger relationships with communicators to effectively use these digital channels which are so highly visible and so highly trafficked? To do that work the right way?’ And that’s when we started thinking about a system.”
But first, they decided to redesign the main utk.edu website to be more prospective audience focused. They began the redesign and were nearing completion in mid 2022 when one of their key developers left. So OCM reached out to NewCity to fill the gap. We integrated seamlessly with their in-house team, supporting a successful launch of the new Tennessee website in late 2022.
Building a page
Facing a Crossroads
After the launch OCM team turned their attention back to the need for a comprehensive web design and communication system. But they were still short a developer, and didn’t want to lose momentum for their two strategic initiatives: 1) further enhancement of the main website, and 2) thoughtful design and buildout of a new web design system (WDS) for colleges and units. Both were key to a unified digital expression of Tennessee’s brand.
Could they trust an outside partner with something as important as the WDS? After our collaboration on the main site, OCM had confidence that NewCity could lead this project and build the WDS in a way that Tennessee could take over and carry forward when the time was right.
OCM’s choice to partner with NewCity enabled them to
- focus on improving the main Tennessee website in ways they had never had time to before,
- take their time to hire the right developer, and
- elevate their in-house expertise on design systems.
What’s a Design System?
NewCity has been creating design systems since before Dan Mall started evangelizing them. Design systems provide re-usable layout patterns with optional variations that site owners can use to create an infinite variety of pages, each with a look and feel consistent to an institution’s brand standards. Also known as pattern libraries, they are built on the principles of Atomic Design. We’ve created them for organizations ranging from Oklahoma State University (2018) to CalArts (2024). You can read more about this concept in our article about UI Design Systems.
Choosing Our Tools
Sometimes we create design systems in a CMS-agnostic framework like Storybook. With Storybook, we can create the design system and all the front-end code independently of the CMS, and then create development pipelines to merge the front-end code with each CMS’s template framework or theme. We considered this for Tennessee, but decided to build it directly in WordPress. During the planning stage of the project OCM decided they would only support WordPress as their campus-wide CMS going forward. Given that decision, building everything using WordPress core functionality made more sense for 3 main reasons:
- It would be easier to update and more sustainable over the long-term as WordPress evolves.
- There would be no requirement for UT Knoxville developers to learn a new intermediary template system.
- Relying on layout patterns made with WP core blocks means that UTK site owners can leverage widely available WordPress training, using WordPress the way it’s intended to work, with no weird workarounds or third-party page builder tools.
What are core blocks and patterns in WordPress?
Core blocks are the simplest elements of a page like a paragraph, a heading, a button, a link, an image, a gallery, etc. Patterns are saved arrangements of core blocks and custom blocks that can be configured with extra styles. Here are some examples of patterns available in the University of Tennessee WDS:
Tools Require Know-How
A flexible WordPress theme is great, but it doesn’t mean that every site owner will magically create user-friendly websites. So the OCM team’s vision for the WDS always included training and guidance for information architecture and content strategy. In 2023, we launched version 1.0 of the WDS, centered around a “storefront” site that documented all the layout patterns and how to use them appropriately. Our developer Mike Henderson also gave a presentation at HighEdWeb on the storefront we built for the UT Knoxville WDS.
Putting WDS to the Test with a Pilot Program
OCM and NewCity then launched a pilot program and had NewCity, as well as a couple other agencies from their approved partner list, work with a select group of colleges to build out their websites using the WDS. The pilot program helped us identify needs for additional patterns and variations to add to the theme.
Since the launch of the WDS, OCM has evaluated these suggestions, prioritized them on the product roadmap, and worked with NewCity to implement them. NewCity released new features regularly to pilot users, explaining changes and additions on the ever-growing storefront documentation site.
These are the sites that were built during the WDS pilot program:
- College of Communication and Information https://cci.utk.edu/
- College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies https://cecs.utk.edu/
- College of Social Work https://csw.utk.edu/
- One Stop Student Services https://onestop.utk.edu/
- Undergraduate Admissions https://admissions.utk.edu/
The pilot program has proven that the WDS is ready for the real-world needs of the University of Tennessee’s flagship campus. Chris Echols described the early success:
OCM plans to do a broader release of the WDS in the spring of 2025, along with training and onboarding resources, on-demand videos and technical support. NewCity will be transitioning day-to-day management of the WDS back to the OCM in-house team, providing support as needed.
Two years in, the value of the University of Tennessee’s partnership with NewCity is clear.
Chris Echols described the impact our partnership has had on the University of Tennessee:
“Systems thinking, looking to the sustainability of our web platform for the next five, ten years – at the outset, has been so influential in the way we think about all of our work now. In all of our planning and all of our strategy work, we talk about how we’re not just solving today’s problem for tomorrow, we’re solving two years from now’s problems today.
I realized that the difference between our relationship and any other client vendor relationship is that there is something about the people of NewCity, there’s something about the philosophy and the approach that is truly people first. It’s truly relationship first – caring about your clients as human beings. And the fact that you all treat all of us that you work with at Tennessee so thoughtfully and with such great kindness and care is it just transcends the working relationship.
And that’s something that when we do talk to others about working with you, we want to make it clear: Don’t just look at the dollar amount on the quote you’re getting from NewCity. You’re not just paying dollars for a product. You’re really engaging with people that are going to help you do what you do so much better, and they’re going to treat you in a way that makes you better too.
And honestly, that’s not the sort of thing you expect from the business world, certainly not the kind of thing you expect from people that you interact with virtually.”
You can partner with NewCity too!
NewCity is an approved vendor with the University of Tennessee. If you are a website owner at the University of Tennessee and looking for a partner to help you move into the WDS or refresh your site, NewCity is ready to help with:
- audience research
- enrollment strategy
- information architecture and content strategy
- copywriting & editing
- design & development
And of course as the architects of the WDS, we can advise you on how best to use the patterns for your goals, or whether there might be a good case to add something new to the WDS.
Beyond your website we have expertise in digital marketing campaigns for schools and programs.
Have questions about design systems?
We love talking about all things web design, development and digital strategy. Reach out to discuss how we can support your goals.
