E2C Open Data Website
Designed Massachusetts' statewide education data platform, now used by 40,000+ people
I led UX research and design from start to finish for Massachusetts' Education-to-Career (E2C) Research & Data Hub. It takes education and workforce data and turns it into something educators, students, policymakers and employers can actually use. Since launch it has grown to 40,000+ active users across the state.
The Problem
The old setup hid data behind a crowded layout, weak filtering and navigation that changed from page to page. People who aren't data folks got lost in the numbers, and power users couldn't move fast enough to compare anything. I wanted one system that works whether you live in spreadsheets or have never opened one.
Blueprint First, Build Second
We built this one from scratch, so the groundwork had to be solid. I wrote the acceptance criteria, mapped the full user flow and set the site structure before any visual design. Senior stakeholders reviewed the low-fidelity mockups, and we tested them in a private usability session before launch. Every sprint, vendor task and round of feedback lived in Jira, which kept our team and the outside vendor on the same page.
We had to work inside the state's Tyler platform instead of building something custom. Within those limits I reworked the layout hierarchy, navigation, content structure and visual consistency. Now educators, students, policymakers and workforce folks can find what they need and understand it faster.
Unbound Creativity
Government sites come with a lot of rules. This concept is me asking what the Hub could look like with more creative freedom, while still feeling like it belongs to the state.
