When the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) set out to modernize the websites for five of its colleges—Great Bay Community College, Lakes Region Community College, NHTI–Concord’s Community College, River Valley Community College, and White Mountains Community College—they had a clear vision: each site should reflect the unique strengths of its institution, but they should also work together to create a more cohesive digital presence across the system.
This challenge was tailor-made for our custom blitz process, a two-week intensive collaboration that brings together key stakeholders to make major decisions fast. Our goal? To identify common ground in design and information architecture while preserving the individuality of each college.
The Blitz: Collaboration at High Speed
During our two-week blitz, we met with teams from all five colleges, diving deep into their needs, priorities, and pain points. While every institution had its own personality and focus areas, we quickly discovered that they shared many of the same overarching goals, particularly when it came to student recruitment and messaging.
Rather than reinvent the wheel five times, we worked with the colleges to develop a shared design system that provided consistency where it mattered while allowing room for customization where needed. This included:
- A unified navigation structure to ensure a seamless user experience for students exploring multiple colleges.
- Consistent page layouts for key content areas like Admissions, Academics, and Student Life, making it easier for users to find what they need.
- A cohesive visual identity that maintained system-wide branding while giving each college the flexibility to showcase its unique character.
Leveraging Shared Goals for a Better Experience
One of the most impactful aspects of this project was aligning the colleges around student-focused messaging. While each institution serves a distinct community, they all share a commitment to accessibility, career readiness, and academic excellence. By leveraging these commonalities, we helped the colleges craft clearer, more compelling recruitment messaging that spoke directly to prospective students’ needs.
The result? Websites that not only look great but also work harder to connect with students.
A Model for Future Collaboration
This project demonstrated the power of strategic collaboration. By identifying shared priorities early and making decisions efficiently during the blitz, we delivered five fully redesigned, content-rich websites in just six months.
Following this success, CCSNH asked us to rebuild the websites for Nashua Community College and Manchester Community College, completing a full system-wide digital transformation.
While each site stands on its own, the process proved that finding common ground doesn’t mean sacrificing individuality—it means building a stronger foundation for all.
Want to learn more about our blitz process and how it can work for your organization? Get in touch—we’d love to chat!
