Postsecondary institutions are filled with digital platforms that are well intentioned but often shaped by internal assumptions, legacy workflows, and organizational structures rather than how people actually use them. The result is familiar: navigation that reflects silos, content designed for publishing rather than finding, and operating models built for old technology.
Using two complementary case studies from the University of Manitoba, this session explores what changes when platforms are intentionally designed around real audience needs.
First, we’ll look at UM Today, a site originally built more than a decade ago to serve both internal news and external storytelling. Over time, that blended purpose created tension:
content meant for internal audiences competed with public facing stories, and many external readers didn’t clearly see the site as “for them.” To evolve UM Today into a true digital storytelling platform, we had to clarify its role, reassess which stories best represent the university, and redesign how key audiences discover and engage with content.
At the same time, we reexamined the role of the UM Intranet, shifting it from an underused portal into a trusted digital home for faculty and staff. Employee survey results and feedback channels told a consistent story: important information was hard to find, and people wanted role relevant content that was current and easy to locate when they needed it. To support that shift, we moved internal news into the intranet and improved how information is organized and found, giving employees a clearer, more reliable starting point for updates, tools and resources.
Together, these case studies show how the same audience first principles apply across very different experiences. Attendees will see how user signals—research, analytics, testing, and feedback—shape information architecture, navigation, content models, and governance, and will leave with a practical framework for translating user needs into clear platform decisions about what to change and why.
Tim Runtz
User Experience and Information Architecture Designer, University of Manitoba
Tim Runtz is a User Experience and Information Architecture Designer at the University of Manitoba. Working as part of a small UX team, he supports the university’s public websites and faculty and staff intranet while collaborating with partners across the institution to improve digital tools through user research and advocacy. His primary goal as a post-secondary UX designer is to reduce stress and simplify experiences for end users within complex and sometimes overwhelming digital environments. When he’s not at work, you’ll most likely find him out for a run or watching his garden grow.
Heather Saxton
Director, Digital Engagement, University of Manitoba
Heather Saxton is the Director, Digital Engagement at the University of Manitoba. She leads the team responsible for the user experience of the university’s key marketing and
communications platforms, including umanitoba.ca and UM Today. Partnering across campus, she advances audience-first practices that improve findability, clarity, and trust across channels. Outside of work, she’s a devoted hockey and sports mom, fitting in book club and yoga between weekends at the rink.