UCSF Wins 2020 CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Website Redesign

UC San Francisco won a Silver award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in this year’s international competition recognizing exceptional communications and outreach from educational institutions.

Known as the Circle of Excellence Awards, the annual awards showcase innovative, inspiring and creative work in the fields of communications, advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing by educational institutions.

UCSF was recognized for the redesign of its flagship UCSF.edu website, which was launched in April 2019. The new design included both an upgrade to the content management system and optimization of the online experience based on the University’s audience needs. This complete reimagining and rebuild of the website, led by the Office of Communications and Information Technology, is the first major overhaul of the site since 2015 and has created a new digital experience that is increasingly mobile-friendly, searchable and visually engaging.

In their comments, the judges praised the UCSF team for its comprehensive content strategy plan, which led to an engaging site “that we could not stop talking about.” They were impressed by design decisions, such as the prominent search feature, recommended readings, and clean visuals, which helped users find information quickly and also engage in the content deeply.

“Their thoughtful research and intentional decisions for user experience on the site redesign match beautifully with their goals,” the judges said. 

This year, CASE received 2,752 entries from 587 institutions across 28 countries. Winners were selected based on several factors, including overall quality, innovation, use of resources and impact.

Earlier this year, UCSF won eight CASE Awards in the regional competition, including a Grand Gold for the UCSF.edu redesign.