Hippo Nation Website

In the summer of 2022, I was hired as the Web Manager for Hutto ISD, with the school board’s top priority being a full upgrade of the district’s website to a more modern, user-friendly platform. Our goal was to improve navigation, accessibility, and the overall user experience.

To guide the website restructure, we began with extensive research. Using Google Analytics, we identified the most frequently visited pages, while heatmaps from the web governance platform Monsido gave us deeper insight into user behavior. We also developed and distributed a comprehensive survey across the community that included staff, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and local residents. This helped to better understand the needs and expectations of each user group and create the most optimal experience of any user using our website.

After gathering and analyzing this data, I moved into the design and production phase. I created a layout that reflected the diverse needs of our users, ensuring an intuitive structure and improved access to key content. In Q4 of 2023, we secured the budget to move forward with Finalsite as our new website provider. With several years of experience in my past roles using Finalsite, I took the solo lead as a “power user,” managing the full migration of content and rebuilding every page from the ground up. Each section was reviewed, redesigned, and updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.

By June 2024, our website proposal was presented to the school board and received enthusiastic approval for launch.

To support the long-term success of the site, I also developed a comprehensive website editing guide for new content managers [link here].

This project stands as a cornerstone achievement in my role as Web Manager. Leading a full-scale website transformation from strategy to execution and delivering a platform that truly reflects the needs of our district that is now used as an example in many state conferences across vast disciplines of education.

After the finished result of the website, our department submitted the website to TSPRA’s Star Awards, an annual event highlighting and showcasing the state’s best in public school communications. The website was nominated as a Gold Star recipient in its category.