EF Academy: Homepage Revamp
Redesigning EF Academy’s digital “front door” to better reflect our brand and inspire exploration.
The previous EF Academy homepage was functional but uninspired — optimized for SEO rather than people. It didn’t tell our story or showcase what makes EF Academy unique: our students, teachers, and global community. We set out to change that by designing a homepage that feels vibrant, informative, and true to who we are.
Working within our existing Storyblok CMS, I led the UX strategy, UI design, wireframing, and creative direction for the redesign. The result is a more dynamic and intentional experience that blends storytelling with usability — keeping the user journey intact while adding new content and features like ambient video, an interactive global map, and stronger pathways to our three campus sites.
THE CHALLENGE
Our old homepage prioritized keyword optimization and technical SEO over design, storytelling, and brand expression. The layout was sparse and transactional, providing little insight into EF Academy’s people, campuses, or educational philosophy. We needed to create a homepage that balanced emotion and function — inspiring families to explore while still driving clear conversion paths.
BEFORE
THE APPROACH
We reimagined the homepage as EF Academy’s digital front door — an introduction that captures curiosity and seamlessly guides prospective families to the campus pages for New York, Pasadena, and Oxford.
The redesigned page integrates ambient video in the hero section to bring the campuses and student experience to life. We introduced new content modules, restructured hierarchy and CTAs for clarity, and added an interactive global map to highlight where our students come from. Despite the expanded content, the user flow remains simple, intuitive, and conversion-focused.
My Role
I led UX strategy, wireframing, and UI design in close collaboration with our copywriter and key stakeholders, including EF Academy’s President, Head of Global Sales, and Head of Marketing. I oversaw creative direction from concept through development, ensuring brand alignment, content balance, and technical feasibility within Storyblok.
Design Notes & Highlights
Hero section features ambient video of real EF Academy students and campuses
Simplified navigation keeps user flow intuitive while deepening storytelling
Interactive global map visualizes the school’s international community
Refined design system components: buttons, color palette, and typography for better cohesion and accessibility
RESULTS & IMPACT