ICAA - Redesign
Client
Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia
My role
Lead UX / UI designer
Deliverables
Research, IA, templates, design system, prototype
Platform
Responsive public and member website
Overview
The Institute's website served three very different audiences: members managing their professional obligations, prospective students deciding whether to become chartered, and the public looking for an accountant or a position statement. Over the years it had become a large, department-shaped site that was hard to navigate on any device and impossible on a phone.
I led UX and visual design for the full redesign, delivering a task-based structure, a set of flexible templates and a design system the Institute's digital team still builds on.
The challenge
- Over 6,000 pages, with navigation organised around business units rather than member tasks.
- Members logged in to do a handful of things (renew, log CPE, update details, find events) and these were the hardest to find.
- Prospective students got a member-focused experience that did not answer their questions.
- The visual design had not changed in years and no longer reflected the brand.
Research
Analytics and top tasks
Used analytics, search logs and a top-task survey of members to rank what the site actually had to do well.
Audience interviews
Members at different career stages, current candidates, employers and Institute staff.
Content audit
Reviewed every page for accuracy, ownership and traffic, and recommended what to keep, merge or retire.
Tree testing
Two rounds of tree tests with members and candidates to validate the new structure before design.
Design
Audience-first structure
The new information architecture leads with the three audiences and then with tasks. Members land on a personalised dashboard that puts renewal, CPE status and upcoming events first. Candidates get a dedicated journey from "is this for me" to enrolment. Public visitors get "find a chartered accountant" and the Institute's positions without wading through member content.
Templates and design system
Nine templates
Home, audience landing, topic hub, article, event, course, directory, dashboard and form, covering every page type on the site.
Component library
Cards, accordions, filters, tables, forms and calls to action with documented states and responsive behaviour.
Typography and colour
A refreshed type scale and an accessible palette derived from the brand, tested to WCAG 2.1 AA.
Mobile first
Every template designed at phone width first, with navigation that collapses to a clear, task-led menu.
Outcome
The redesigned site launched in phases, member dashboard first. The design system was later extended for the CPE training pages and other member tools, which meant each new project started from a working foundation rather than a blank page.