Overview
The Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS), the Philippine government’s primary socioeconomic policy think tank, required a complete overhaul of its outdated website to improve usability, accessibility, and data management. As the lead designer and project manager, I guided the project from planning to deployment, focusing on information architecture, UI/UX design, and frontend integration.
Challenges
As a national research institution, PIDS manages a vast collection of studies, publications, and policy resources.
However, its previous website struggled with:
- Disorganized information architecture that made research difficult to find
- Outdated and inconsistent interface design
- Limited mobile responsiveness
- Inefficient backend workflows for managing large volumes of research content
- No automated systems for aggregating citations from other platforms
These issues affected the experience of policymakers, researchers, students, and the public who rely on PIDS for credible socioeconomic data.
Approach and Role
In partnership with Lily Pad, I led a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort and contributed to the project through:
- Information Architecture Redesign
- Conducted a complete audit of the old site
- Reorganized navigation and content hierarchy
- Ensured alignment with PIDS’ mandate as a national policy resource hub
- UI/UX Design
- Designed a modern, research-friendly interface
- Improved readability, clarity, and overall user flow
- Built responsive layouts optimized for all device sizes
- Frontend Development Support
- Aligned frontend implementation with the new design system
- Ensured interactive components worked smoothly and intuitively
- Project Management
- Managed timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder communication
- Coordinated between design, development, and content teams
- Ensured the final product met both design and technical requirements
Solutions Implemented
We executed a full transformation of the PIDS digital platform, including:
- Overhaul of information architecture and usability design
- Development of a custom content management system for research data
- Deployment of a data crawler that continuously fetches PIDS citations from multiple public research databases
- Streamlined backend workflows for data migration and system integration
- A fully redesigned frontend interface based on the updated design system
Results
The revamped PIDS website is now:
- Modern and visually cohesive, reflecting PIDS’ authority as a national policy think tank
- User-friendly, enabling faster and easier access to research materials
- Fully responsive, offering seamless experiences across devices
- Operationally efficient, thanks to a custom CMS and automated citation crawler
- Technically robust, supporting long-term scalability
This transformation strengthened PIDS’ digital presence and enhanced its ability to deliver accessible, evidence-based knowledge to government agencies, policymakers, and the broader public.
