When we started working with Rose State College, one of the first things we noticed was how overloaded their navigation had become. It was trying to serve everyone—current students, faculty, staff, parents, prospective students—and ended up serving no one particularly well. The result was a confusing maze of links that buried key pages and made it hard for users (especially future students) to figure out where to go next.

Our approach was to hit pause, step back, and reframe the content strategy around the college’s most important audience: prospective students. We restructured the navigation from the ground up, simplifying categories, prioritizing high-intent content, and grouping related topics in ways that actually made sense to a first-time visitor. Internal language was replaced with clear, action-oriented labels like “Find a Program” and “Paying for College.” We also worked closely with Rose State’s team to help them rethink how content could guide users through their decision-making journey—not just check a box.

The result is a site that’s a lot easier to navigate—and a lot more effective at supporting recruitment. Fewer links. Smarter structure. Clearer language. By focusing the content around what prospective students need (instead of trying to cram everything in), we created a more welcoming and purposeful experience—one that helps users quickly find answers and move forward.