Growth + Expansion
Website strategy + Shopify redesign
Non-profit · Campus-based
A website built to take HER University beyond campus.
Clarity · Credibility · Community
HER University
HER University had built a movement empowering young women on campus. More women were discovering the organisation, joining programmes and buying into the mission. But the founder had bigger ambitions of expanding to new campuses and building HER University into a recognised national movement.
At the time, the website didn't reflect that. It felt more like an online shop than an organisation, and someone landing on the site for the first time had little context around what HER University actually did, or who the programmes were for. So people were signing up without understanding whether they were the right fit for its programmes.
At the time, the website didn't reflect that. It felt more like an online shop than an organisation, and someone landing on the site for the first time had little context around what HER University actually did, or who the programmes were for. So people were signing up without understanding whether they were the right fit for its programmes.
HER University was growing beyond the campus. So its website needed to catch up.
The challenge
Give the programmes, community and charitable work as much attention as the merchandise.
Make more than the merch visible
Help visitors understand what HER University actually does, who it's for, and how they can get involved.
Make programmes and services easier to understand
Create a website that could support new campuses, funding opportunities and the organisation's plans to grow.
Build a website ready for what's next
HER University's impact was happening offline. The problem was that the website didn't show enough of it. So the redesign made more room for the things happening beyond the shop: programmes, chapters, community events, charitable work and the stories coming out of the organisation.
From a campus merch store to a clearer picture of HER University.
One of the biggest changes was giving the programmes their own space. Rather than expecting visitors to piece together what HER University offers, dedicated programme pages explain the purpose, structure and expectations of each offering.
Making it clear how HER University actually works.
HER University's impact was noticeable in real life, through its programmes, events, community and charitable work. But you couldn't really see much of that on the old website.
Past events and projects could be showcased, while blog content gave visitors a better look at what HER University was doing and the community behind it.
Past events and projects could be showcased, while blog content gave visitors a better look at what HER University was doing and the community behind it.
Putting the community back at the centre.
The shop still mattered. HER University was launching jerseys for women to wear around campus, with a percentage of proceeds going back into the organisation and its community. So the product pages needed to make it clear what people were buying, what their purchase supported, and why the merch existed in the first place.
Merch that supported the mission
A relaunch that showed the organisation as more than a campus community, but what they were building next.
A second university location secured at Howard University
A website that showed there was more to HER University than the merch.
THE RESULTS
The relaunched Shopify website gave visitors a clearer understanding of HER University's programmes, chapters, community and charitable work, while still making space for the merchandise. Programmes became easier to understand, chapter information was clearer, and visitors could see what getting involved actually looked like.
It also gave the organisation a better way to communicate who HER University was for, by helping attract women who connected with the purpose of the movement, rather than simply joining because they had seen it around campus.
It also gave the organisation a better way to communicate who HER University was for, by helping attract women who connected with the purpose of the movement, rather than simply joining because they had seen it around campus.
— Exzabriana, Founder of HER University
"When I applied for grants, sponsorships, and donations, they often highlighted how beautiful my website was."
