From foundations to futures: supporting a university’s evolving digital ecosystem

Since 2021, Evolving Web has partnered with Royal Roads University (RRU) on a series of transformative digital projects. From internal portals and training to UX enhancements and the launch of a new campus, our collaboration has supported RRU’s digital evolution across multiple platforms and audiences. This ongoing relationship reflects our role as a strategic partner committed to enabling accessible, flexible, and future-ready digital experiences.

Royal Roads University is a public institution located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. With a strong reputation for blended learning and mid-career programming, RRU has steadily expanded its offerings, including undergraduate pathways, international continuing education, and employee development. The university maintains a complex digital ecosystem that includes public websites, intranet portals, and research and academic sites, heavily leveraging Drupal as the University's primary CMS.

Royal Roads University continues to modernize its web presence across departments and user groups, to improve the experience for prospective and current students, faculty and staff. Equally important is the goal of internal enablement: building in-house capacity through training and governance so that teams can manage, scale, and sustain the platform independently over time. This holistic approach requires cross-departmental coordination, and Evolving Web has provided strategy, design, and Drupal support services to the university’s core team and individual departments as part of a long-term partnership.

1. Our People intranet redesign

We conducted UX discovery to make a set of important information architecture improvements to RRU’s public-facing intranet for employees and contractors. We clarified navigation, differentiated user paths (staff, faculty, contractors), and implemented intuitive visual cues. This project was delivered on a tight timeline.

• IA restructuring with audience-specific pathways
• Drupal theming and migration to Acquia
• Strategic content labeling for internal/external use

2. Drupal training program

We delivered 14 customized sessions on Drupal theming and module development, enabling RRU’s internal team to manage five codebases and evolve their platform independently.

• Custom training aligned with RRU’s infrastructure
• Post-training autonomy for security updates and new development

3. Professional and Continuing Studies - UX and content strategy

A collaborative redesign of the Professional and Continuing Studies website focused on international and continuing learners. We defined user journeys, clarified program offerings, and proposed scalable strategies for content sharing between the core site and Destiny One.

• Prioritized student and agent audiences
• Content audit and governance planning
• Wireframes and IA improvements for GLLC and PCS content

4. Student Space UX improvements

We improved the current students section of the core website by refining content strategy, IA, and component design based on user interviews and usability testing.

• Sitemap and IA redesign
• High-fidelity component mockups
• Recommendations aligned with student workflows and feedback

5. Langford Campus web expansion

To support the launch of its new undergraduate campus, RRU engaged us to rework key sections of its corporate site, including Programs & Courses and Admissions, to ensure a cohesive user journey across academic levels.

• UX workshops and stakeholder interviews
• Technical and content audits
• New Drupal templates and wireframes

At every stage, we tailored our work to RRU’s context: discovery-driven, collaborative, and designed for sustainability. We balanced quick wins with long-term strategy, always working closely with university stakeholders to align digital solutions with institutional goals.

Our partnership with RRU has contributed to a more coherent and student-friendly digital ecosystem. With a focus on being student focused and ready for the future, we have improved usability, clarified content pathways, and reduced fragmentation within the university's digital presence. RRU operates on a scalable platform that can accommodate growth, whether through the addition of new academic offerings, sub-sites, or services. More importantly, internal teams are better equipped to manage and evolve the platform independently, thanks to targeted training and governance support. The result is not just a better web experience for users, but a more empowered and agile organization that is ready to meet the demands of modern higher education.