Realizing potential.
For all women.
Role: Project Leader & Tech Lead
Tool: Figma, WordPress, Canva
Duration: May-Aug/2025
Overview
When CFUW-Ottawa, the largest chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women with over 525 members, approached us, their website was outdated and running on Wild Apricot. While functional, the platform made it difficult to navigate, wasn’t mobile-friendly, and lacked basic tools like search optimization or a dedicated member area. Many other CFUW clubs had already redesigned their websites, and Ottawa wanted to keep pace with a modern, engaging platform that reflected its scale and community.
Before
After
Understanding the Problem
In the early stages, I led the research phase. We reviewed the existing site, studied competitor clubs (CFUW Perth, CFUW Kanata, CFUW Guelph), and interviewed stakeholders to uncover pain points.
A few themes emerged:
Members struggled to find event details and resources.
New visitors often had difficulty understanding who CFUW-Ottawa is and why they should join.
No clear SEO strategy, meaning the site wasn’t discoverable to potential new members.
The outdated design didn’t reflect the professionalism and vibrancy of the organization.
Defining the Solution
With those insights, I created a sitemap to restructure navigation around the club’s core activities: About, Join Us, Socialize, Advocate, Learn, Scholarships, News, and Members Only. We introduced a Members Only section for internal resources and set up utility navigation for quick access to “Donate” and “Login.”
We also prioritized event visibility, recommending an integrated Event Calendar where members could view upcoming activities, today’s events, and even sub-calendars for interest groups.
Design Phase
At this stage, we moved from research insights into user-centered design.
Personas:
we created personas to represent key target groups, such as:
Current Members who rely on the site for events and resources.
Potential Members (e.g., newcomers or students) are curious about joining.
Donors & Sponsors who want to learn about the Scholarship Trust Fund and make contributions.
User Journeys:
we mapped user journeys — showing how someone would discover the website, navigate through pages, and achieve their goal.
Style Tile
Since CFUW shares a common logo and color palette nationally, we aligned visuals with existing brand standards but modernized them with clean typography and improved spacing.
I guided the team through lo-fi wireframes, which focused on layout and information hierarchy.
Then, we iterated into hi-fi designs with attention to branding, accessibility, and responsiveness.
Development Phase
During development, I acted as Project Lead and Tech Lead:
We chose WordPress with Astra and Spectra for flexibility and scalability.
Built custom layouts for homepage, events, and member resources.
Designed and showcased the Members Only section workflow in WordPress, with secure login planned for the next phase.
Integrated the Event Calendar plugin and connected it to the site’s navigation.
Optimized for SEO using Yoast SEO plugin, setting up metadata, headings, and sitemaps.
Testing & Handoff
After deployment, we tested across devices and browsers to ensure accessibility and responsiveness. Minor bugs were logged for the next development cycle.
To support the client long-term, I created a handoff package that included:
A WordPress backup and database export.
Written and video tutorials explaining how to update pages, manage events, and maintain SEO.
Recommendations for future optimization, like activating advanced features when needed.
Impact
By the end of the project, CFUW-Ottawa had a modern, easy-to-navigate website that better served its members and showcased the club to potential new members and donors. The site is now positioned to grow in visibility, accessibility, and functionality, while the handoff ensures the client can confidently maintain it moving forward.