Based in Washington, D.C., the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a leading graduate school of international affairs, educating students for professional careers in government, business, journalism, international organizations, academia and nonprofits. Founded in 1943 by statesmen Paul Nitze and Christian Herter, SAIS has been a division of The Johns Hopkins University since 1950.

The Challenge

The SAIS website had a dated look and feel that was neither representative of the school's academic excellence nor their research contributions to their field of study. The site's existing information architecture was not able to accommodate the increasing volume of content being published, and as a result, the website was difficult for users to navigate and find the information they were seeking.

The Solution

BrowserMedia performed a comprehensive content audit and devised a new information architecture that not only handled the current repository of content, but also can grow to meet the University's needs. BrowserMedia's creative team researched the websites of leading competitors within the space and made recommendations on design directions that would place SAIS clearly ahead of the pack. BrowserMedia then worked with SAIS's existing web content management system supplier to implement the resulting design and information architecture.

The Results

The newly designed SAIS website features a streamlined user experience with a modern design that is truly on par with the excellence that has made Johns Hopkins the world renowned learning institution that it is. Subsequent to the launch of the newly designed SAIS website, Johns Hopkins engaged BrowserMedia to redesign the websites for their Nanjing and Bologna campuses.