Rush Akpsi

Challenge

Current site feels dated and doesn’t match the professionalism of a business fraternity

Alpha Kappa Psi at UC Riverside recognized that its existing WIX website lacked the engagement and visibility needed to connect with UCR students. The organization sought to strengthen its brand presence by aligning with official brand guidelines while presenting a more modern, professional online identity. The challenge was to design a website that not only communicates professionalism but also highlights the fraternity’s core value of brotherhood.

Goal

Create a professional site that reflects the fraternity’s values

Our goal was to create a modern and professional website for Alpha Kappa Psi at UC Riverside that boosts student engagement, reinforces brand identity through consistent guidelines, and offers an accessible platform to highlight both the fraternity’s professionalism and its brotherhood.

Design Process

Improving Recruitment & Engagement

In our design process, my team and I emphasized continuous testing and review to refine and improve the site’s design.

The Approach

Highlights Recurring Problems and Priorities

To begin the design process, we focused on key observations from the existing site and gathered input from the organization on areas for improvement. Using an affinity map, we categorized our findings into four priority themes to guide the redesign.

Student Persona

Testing and Improvements

3 Major Improvement in our Design

Incorporated feedback: Member & peer feedback guided revisions, helping us identify and address usability issues early.

Aligned the evolving designs: Design progression focused on aligning with Alpha Kappa Psi’s brand guidelines while balancing professionalism with brotherhood.

Refined each iteration: Each iteration refined the site toward a final design that communicates the fraternity’s values and engages UC Riverside students.

Homepage

Rush Page

Rush Display

Conclusions + Impact

Our Design in Action

Through this project, I gained a deeper understanding of the handoff process between design and development. I also learned the differences between building with custom code versus using platforms like WordPress, and how each approach impacts flexibility, scalability, and ease of updates. Our team was able to complete and launch the website before the start of the fall quarter rush, meeting one of the fraternity’s primary goals of having a professional and engaging platform ready for recruitment.

"The team kept us updated throughout, delivered the project quickly, and paid great attention to detail. Their professionalism and hospitality made the process seamless."

Alpha Kappa Psi