Case Study
Restructuring the Training Website
Reorganizing Information Architecture and Navigation to Improve Content Findability
Problem & Context
This project started with a specific request from the Training team to add a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to the ICAO e-commerce platform. At first glance, this seemed like a tactical need; customers were frequently emailing with recurring questions. However, instead of immediately adding more content to the e-commerce website, I suggested we take a step back to understand the broader implications for the service.
The Training department operated across multiple digital platforms, each serving a different role in the customer journey. Adding an FAQ section to the e-commerce site risked hardly treating the symptom — high email volume — without addressing the underlying cause. Given the lack of a dedicated budget and limited resources, I was authorized to investigate further, using internal knowledge and existing materials to assess the situation holistically.
What initially seemed like a simple content request quickly revealed a potential service breakdown. Rather than a lack of answers, customers' touchpoints lacked clarity, consistency, and guidance.
My Role
UX designer Consultant
Methods
Stakeholders interviews
Focus Group
Content & IA Audit
Team
Head of Training Department, Manager of the online Training, Programme Manager, Business Analyst
Timeline
18 weeks
Research Process
The research evolved through iterative cycles of redefining problems and exploring solutions. At each stage, the underlying issues became clearer, allowing methods and focus areas to be adjusted accordingly. Despite tight resource constraints, decisions were continuously evaluated and refined to balance feasibility, business priorities, and user needs, ensuring that proposed solutions addressed root causes rather than isolated symptoms.
Iterative Research Process
Discovery
I began by interviewing the Training manager who submitted the request to understand the motivations behind it. The team had identified recurring patterns in customer email inquiries, suggesting gaps in how information was structured or surfaced across platforms.
These discussions reframed the challenge. The central question was no longer “Where should we add an FAQ?” but rather:
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Where in the service journey are users seeking information?
Which platforms are they interacting with before reaching checkout?
At what stage would structured, accessible information create the most impact?
Customer Touchpoints Across 3 Training Platforms
Exploration
A second round of stakeholder sessions helped me to map the broader service ecosystem. Customers interacted with four different platforms:
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The official website, which has general information about Training.
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A dedicated course registration platform.
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The e-commerce website, used to finalize purchases.
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The Learning Management System (LMS) platform.
This revealed a critical insight: the e-commerce platform functioned as the final transactional touchpoint, not the primary source of information. Customers were expected to arrive there already informed. Therefore, adding an FAQ at this stage would likely introduce friction rather than resolve confusion. Based on these findings, we redefined the project’s goals:
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Improve clarity and findability of training-related information.
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Establish clear pathways from information to courses and services.
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Support internal teams by decreasing email flow.
Synthesis
To consolidate these insights, I created a map of the customer journey across different platforms and performed a detailed content audit. This process helped me identify pain points, find areas with duplicated information, and define opportunities for clearer organization, which could reduce friction for both users and internal teams.
Systematic Page & Content Analyses
Methods
Interviews
To align on business objectives and map the end-to-end customer journey, I conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders across Training, Development, and content teams. The flexible format allowed me to explore recurring inquiries, platform fragmentation, and assumptions about user behaviour.
These discussions helped map key touchpoints, identify distinct user groups (direct customers, aviation professionals, and partner organizations), and surface misalignments between operational practices and strategic goals. The findings revealed systemic gaps in how information and services were structured, ultimately reframing the initiative as an information architecture and service alignment challenge rather than a simple web page update.
Focus Group Miro Board
Focus Group
I organized a virtual focus group with key internal stakeholders to reassess the information architecture of the Training webpage. Together, we clarified its strategic purpose and identified priority audiences.
We evaluated the page’s role in communicating the department’s partnership and membership programme, which was a critical revenue driver, and discussed how effectively these were currently positioned. Without direct access to external users, we relied on stakeholders’ frontline interactions with clients to gather proxy insights. Through guided discussion, we identified gaps in awareness, inconsistencies in messaging, and opportunities to strengthen clarity and engagement.
Content & IA Audit
To assess content quality and structure, I conducted a systematic content audit, reviewing each page individually. An initial structural scan revealed navigation inconsistencies, overlapping categories, and unclear menu labels, resulting in fragmented related content.
Building on this, a deeper page-level analysis identified outdated and incomplete pages, duplicated information, and heavy reliance on PDFs where structured web content would have been more usable and sustainable. I also found missing or poorly positioned calls to action, resulting in weak task progression from information to enrollment. Several visual elements were purely decorative and did not support comprehension or action.
Overall, the audit exposed structural and content-level barriers that were limiting clarity, findability, and user progression.
Insights
Research insights helped clarify the main user groups interacting with ICAO Training services and the goals driving their visits. Mapping these goal-based segments alongside their typical navigation pathways revealed important gaps between how information was structured and how users needed to move from awareness to action.
Key User Groups
Certificate Seekers
Goal: obtain an ICAO-recognized certification
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Individuals (professionals)
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Organizations (airports, airlines, authorities)
Training Providers
Goal: deliver training aligned with ICAO standards
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Independent instructors
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Training centres
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Universities
Explorers
Goal: understand pathways, requirements, or opportunities
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Students
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Career switchers
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Aviation professionals exploring specialization
Compliance Users
Goal: ensure alignment with ICAO standards
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Government agencies
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Civil aviation authorities
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Airport/airline compliance teams
Goal-Based User Groups
User flow
User flows mapping three course modalities (Instructor-led - in-person, Instructor-led - virtual, and self-paced.
Findings from Content and IA Audit
Content Structure
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Content organization reflects internal structures rather than user goals, reducing information findability and making it less accessible for new users.
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Excessive use of internal terminology and acronyms (e.g., GAT, TPP, CAMP, USOAP CMA) increases cognitive load.
Navigation Complexity
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Core business objectives were not clearly supported to guide users toward the next steps
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Repetition of similar navigation items (e.g., GAT Home, About GAT, GAT Overview), which might confuse users
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Navigation was visually and functionally cluttered by misplaced calls to action (CTAs) (e.g., courses, sessions, members, social media, subscribe)
Content Lifecycle Management
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The presence of outdated pages and expired links reduces trust and usability.
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Incomplete project pages with missing or partial information
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Navigation items were added without restructuring, leading to a fragmented and confusing information architecture.
users ignore navigation bars and other global design elements: instead they look only at the content area of the page" .
— Jakob Nielsen
Iterative exploration of navigation reorganization, refining content grouping, labeling, and hierarchy.
Proposed Structure & Improvements
Navigation Structure
The proposed navigation structure was informed by research insights and designed to decrease cognitive load by simplifying the primary navigation and condensing related content. The number of top-level tabs was reduced, and overlapping sections were reorganized to create a clearer, more intuitive hierarchy.
Content that was previously presented as standalone navigation items, such as PDF links, calls to action, or redirects to other platforms, has been repositioned within relevant pages. This helps provide better context and improves task flow, enhancing user navigation recognition while optimizing content areas for action and decision-making.
Iterative exploration of navigation reorganization, refining content grouping, labeling, and hierarchy.
Proposed Navigation Structure
Pages Content & Interface
Additionally, removing outdated and redundant information improved clarity and scanability for both new and returning users. The result is a more accessible structure that supports faster information retrieval and reduces reliance on prior familiarity with the system.
A dedicated FAQ section was introduced within the navigation to address common user questions, increasing self-service capabilities and reducing dependency on direct support channels.
Although the reorganization resulted in a cleaner interface, the intervention was intentionally focused on improving usability and findability through a more intuitive and goal-oriented information architecture.
Updated pages reflecting the new information architecture and improved content clarity
Lessons Learned
Initial requests often reflect symptoms rather than root causes. By investigating the underlying issues and aligning them with business objectives, I shifted the focus from a simple content addition to a series of more impactful, system-level improvements. Designing intentional pathways that guide users from awareness to action is essential for supporting task completion, especially in service-oriented experiences.
In complex organizational contexts, hierarchy and internal dynamics play a significant role in decision-making. Working without a dedicated budget required prioritizing high-impact, low-effort interventions and making effective use of existing knowledge and resources. Engaging stakeholders early in the process helped align priorities, build shared understanding, and foster ownership, ultimately facilitating implementation.
Reflecting on the process, I could have strengthened it by incorporating usability testing, even with internal stakeholders as proxy users. Expanding the research to include other interconnected platforms would also provide a more comprehensive view of the end-to-end experience, enabling more holistic recommendations across the service ecosystem.