Project Case Studies

The most impactful work often happens behind the scenes.

These case studies highlight the processes, systems, and problem-solving that supported larger projects, offering a closer look at how I approach organization, communication, and creative project management.

Career Information Website Audit & Content Strategy

Overview

Conducted a user experience and content audit of a higher education website’s career information pages to identify opportunities for improving student engagement, navigation, and recruitment outcomes. The project focused on evaluating how effectively career pathways, job outcomes, and academic program connections were presented to prospective students.

The Challenge

The institution wanted to ensure career information was presented in a way that would help prospective students make informed decisions and feel confident applying to academic programs. Existing pages varied significantly in structure, content depth, and user experience, making it difficult for students to compare career options and understand potential outcomes.

My Role

  • Reviewed career-focused website content and user journeys
  • Evaluated navigation, information architecture, and content hierarchy
  • Analyzed how career outcomes were integrated across recruitment-focused pages
  • Identified usability barriers affecting student decision-making
  • Developed recommendations for content standardization and page structure

Key Findings

  • Career filtering options created unnecessary complexity and decision fatigue
  • Career pages lacked consistency in structure, content depth, and formatting
  • Important career information was buried within large blocks of text
  • Visual hierarchy varied between pages, impacting readability and comprehension
  • Career outcomes were not consistently connected to academic programs
  • Existing employer-focused resources did not adequately serve prospective student needs

Recommendations

  • Simplify filtering and navigation to reduce cognitive load
  • Establish a standardized template for all career pages
  • Present key statistics and outcomes in scannable tables rather than lengthy copy
  • Create consistent content sections, including:
    • What is this career?
    • Where do professionals work?
    • Job responsibilities and career progression
    • Required qualifications and education
  • Expand career-focused content into recruitment pages, including Areas of Study and related academic program pages
  • Incorporate student-centered information such as job titles, employer types, salary data, and alumni success stories

Skills Demonstrated

  • UX Research
  • Content Strategy
  • Information Architecture
  • User-Centered Design
  • Website Auditing
  • Higher Education Marketing
  • Content Analysis
  • Strategic Recommendations

Outcome

Delivered actionable recommendations to improve the discoverability, consistency, and effectiveness of career information across the website. The proposed changes were designed to support prospective students during the decision-making process while strengthening connections between academic programs and career outcomes.

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Capstone Spotlight Content Development

Overview

Developed and structured a feature story highlighting graduate student research for a university website. The project transformed a highly technical marine science capstone into an engaging, accessible web experience designed to showcase student achievement, faculty collaboration, and real-world research impact.

The Challenge

Capstone research projects often contain complex scientific concepts that can be difficult for prospective students, alumni, and general audiences to understand. The goal was to present the research in a way that maintained scientific credibility while making the content approachable, visually engaging, and meaningful to prospective students exploring the program.

My Role

  • Reviewed and synthesized technical research materials
  • Organized content for web readability and user engagement
  • Created audience-focused summaries of complex scientific concepts
  • Integrated partner and faculty perspectives to demonstrate real-world impact
  • Structured content to align with university recruitment and storytelling goals

Content Strategy

To improve readability and engagement, the content was organized into distinct sections that guided readers through the research journey:

  • Research overview and project significance
  • Problem statement and scientific challenge
  • Research methodology and process
  • Key findings and outcomes
  • Student researcher profile
  • Industry partnership spotlight
  • Organizational mission and impact

Key Contributions

Simplified Complex Information

Translated advanced GIS, habitat modeling, and marine conservation concepts into clear, audience-friendly language while preserving scientific accuracy.

Highlighted Student Achievement

Positioned the student researcher as the central figure of the story, emphasizing academic growth, research expertise, and professional impact.

Connected Research to Real-World Outcomes

Demonstrated how the project supports coral conservation, habitat restoration, and genetic preservation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Showcased Industry Collaboration

Integrated partner testimonials and organizational context to illustrate how academic research contributes to ongoing scientific initiatives.

Skills Demonstrated

  • Content Strategy
  • Science Communication
  • Web Content Development
  • Information Architecture
  • Storytelling
  • Audience-Focused Writing
  • Content Editing
  • Higher Education Marketing
  • Stakeholder Communication

Outcome

Produced a comprehensive capstone spotlight designed to support student recruitment, program marketing, and institutional storytelling. The final content showcased the value of graduate research while making complex scientific work accessible to a broad audience.

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Marketing Lead Tracking System

Overview

Designed and implemented a custom marketing lead tracking system in Google Sheets to manage, organize, and monitor incoming prospective student and marketing leads in the absence of dedicated CRM software or data management tools.

This project demonstrates my ability to build functional, scalable systems from scratch to support data organization, pipeline visibility, and decision-making when formal infrastructure is not available.

The Challenge

Prospective students considering online environmental and marine science The organization did not provide access to a customer relationship management (CRM) platform or any structured lead tracking tools. As a result:

  • Lead information was scattered across emails, forms, and informal notes
  • There was no centralized system for tracking prospective student inquiries
  • Follow-ups were inconsistent or difficult to monitor
  • Marketing and recruitment data could not be easily analyzed
  • There was limited visibility into where leads were in the application funnel

This created a major gap in the ability to track engagement, support prospective students effectively, and measure marketing performance.

The challenge was to create a reliable, organized system using only Google Sheets that could function as a lightweight CRM.

My Role

  • Designed and built a marketing lead tracking system in Google Sheets
  • Defined lead lifecycle stages from initial inquiry to application conversion
  • Created a structured database for organizing and filtering lead information
  • Developed a follow-up tracking and status monitoring system
  • Standardized data entry fields to improve consistency and usability
  • Supported marketing and recruitment decision-making through organized data

Solution: Custom Google Sheets Lead Tracker

I built a centralized lead management system that functioned as a lightweight CRM, allowing for structured tracking of prospective student engagement.

Core System Features

1. Lead Pipeline Stages
Each lead was tracked through a clearly defined lifecycle:

  • New Inquiry
  • Contacted
  • In Progress
  • Nurturing
  • Applied
  • Enrolled / Converted
  • Closed / No Response

This allowed for quick identification of where each prospect was in the decision-making process.

2. Structured Lead Database
Each record included standardized fields such as:

  • Name
  • Email / Contact Information
  • Program of Interest
  • Source of Lead (web form, event, referral, etc.)
  • Date of Inquiry
  • Current Status
  • Last Contact Date
  • Follow-up Date
  • Notes / Communication History

This structure improved consistency and reduced missing or incomplete data.

3. Follow-Up Tracking System
To prevent missed communication:

  • Follow-up dates were clearly logged and sortable
  • Conditional formatting highlighted overdue leads
  • Status updates were required after each interaction
  • Leads requiring action were visually flagged

This helped ensure timely outreach and improved responsiveness.

3. Follow-Up Tracking System
To prevent missed communication:

  • Follow-up dates were clearly logged and sortable
  • Conditional formatting highlighted overdue leads
  • Status updates were required after each interaction
  • Leads requiring action were visually flagged

This helped ensure timely outreach and improved responsiveness.

4. Filtering and Reporting Views
The spreadsheet was structured to allow quick filtering by:

  • Lead status
  • Program interest
  • Source type
  • Date range

This enabled basic reporting and helped identify trends in lead generation and conversion.

Process and Workflow

To ensure the system functioned consistently, I implemented a repeatable workflow:

  1. Capture new leads from incoming inquiries or forms
  2. Enter lead data into the centralized tracker
  3. Assign initial status and program interest
  4. Schedule follow-up actions based on engagement level
  5. Update status after each contact touchpoint
  6. Review pipeline regularly to identify stalled or high-priority leads

This process created accountability and ensured no lead was overlooked.

Skills Demonstrated

  • Systems Design
  • Data Management & Organization
  • CRM Process Development
  • Marketing Operations
  • Workflow Optimization
  • Spreadsheet Architecture (Google Sheets)
  • Communication Tracking Systems
  • Process Improvement
  • Self-Sufficiency in Resource-Limited Environments

Example

Reflection

This project demonstrates the ability to translate operational needs into structured systems using limited resources. By building a custom lead tracking system, I was able to introduce clarity, consistency, and accountability into a previously fragmented workflow.

It also highlights strong problem-solving and adaptability skills, particularly the ability to replicate CRM functionality using accessible tools when formal systems are not available.

Independent Content Calendar System

Overview

Designed and implemented a self-managed content calendar system in Google Sheets to organize, track, and schedule social media content in the absence of dedicated project management or scheduling tools. The system was created to support consistent publishing, improve workflow visibility, and maintain accountability across content production.

This project highlights my ability to independently build operational systems when formal tools, software access, or infrastructure are not provided.

The Challenge

The organization did not provide access to content scheduling platforms, social media management tools, or centralized planning software. As a result:

  • Content planning was fragmented across emails and informal notes
  • There was no centralized visibility into upcoming posts or deadlines
  • Tracking engagement, status, and approvals was inconsistent
  • Collaboration and handoffs were unclear
  • Maintaining a consistent posting schedule required manual oversight

This created inefficiencies and increased the risk of missed deadlines, duplicated work, and inconsistent messaging.

The challenge was to create a structured system using only accessible tools that could support end-to-end content planning and execution.

My Role

  • Designed and built a full content calendar system in Google Sheets
  • Defined workflow stages from content ideation to publication
  • Created a tracking structure for post status, platform distribution, and deadlines
  • Developed a system for organizing captions, assets, and approvals
  • Established a repeatable process for ongoing content planning
  • Managed content scheduling independently using the system

Solution: Google Sheets Content Calendar System

I built a centralized content management system using Google Sheets as a lightweight project management tool.

Core System Features

1. Content Stages Tracking
Each post was tracked through defined stages:

  • Idea/Drafting
  • In Review
  • Approved
  • Scheduled
  • Published

This provided clear visibility into content progress at all times

2. Structured Content Fields
Each record included standardized fields such as:

  • Post title or topic
  • Platform (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
  • Media type (image, video, link post, etc.)
  • Publish date and time
  • Status tracking
  • Notes or approval comments

3. Editorial Planning View
The sheet functioned as a visual content calendar by:

  • Grouping posts by week
  • Color-coding by status
  • Allowing quick filtering by platform or campaign
  • Providing a clear upcoming schedule at a glance

4. Engagement Tracking
A secondary section tracked post-performance data:

  • Likes
  • Comments
  • Shares
  • Engagement notes or patterns

This allowed for basic content performance analysis even without analytics software.

4. Filtering and Reporting Views
The spreadsheet was structured to allow quick filtering by:

  • Lead status
  • Program interest
  • Source type
  • Date range

This allowed for basic content performance analysis even without analytics software.

Process and Workflow

To ensure consistency, I established a repeatable workflow:

  1. Identify content themes aligned with organizational goals
  2. Draft captions and select appropriate media
  3. Input content into the Google Sheets calendar
  4. Track approval status and revisions
  5. Schedule or manually publish content
  6. Log engagement data post-publication

This workflow reduced confusion and created a reliable system for ongoing content production.

Skills Demonstrated

  • Systems Design
  • Content Planning & Strategy
  • Project Management
  • Workflow Development
  • Data Organization
  • Google Sheets / Spreadsheet Architecture
  • Social Media Management
  • Operational Problem Solving
  • Self-Sufficiency in Resource-Limited Environments

Examples

Reflection

This project demonstrated the ability to create structure in an environment without established tools or processes. By building a content calendar from scratch, I was able to introduce clarity, consistency, and accountability into a previously unstructured workflow.

It also reinforced the importance of adaptable systems thinking and being able to translate organizational needs into simple, effective tools using widely available resources.