JapanBound
Redesigning a study abroad website to improve findability, trust, and long-term scalability. JapanBound is a summer study-abroad experience targeting American high school students. Students broaden their perspectives through immersive school exchanges at local high schools and life with host families in Japan.
Duration
2025 September–December
Client
GPI US, Inc.
Services
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UX Design
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Web Design
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Design Systems
Challenge
For families exploring study abroad for the first time, trust is built long before an application is started.
Researching study abroad opportunities often begins online. Users look to program websites to answer fundamental questions about safety, structure, and credibility, while also trying to imagine what the experience would feel like. Without clear organization and trustworthy storytelling, that early research can quickly become overwhelming.
Two core design decisions guided the redesign: improving navigation clarity to support early research, and establishing a consistent visual system to build trust and long-term scalability.
Click images to enlarge. (Left) The original homepage. (Middle) The original design language. (Right) Restructuring the website's information architecture.
Solution
Clarifying navigation and information architecture to reduce cognitive load
Because students and families were often encountering the program for the first time, the website needed to support quick orientation and confident exploration. The original information architecture required users to piece together program details across multiple pages, increasing cognitive load and making it harder to find essential information during early research.
To address this, the redesign focused on clarifying navigation and restructuring information architecture around user goals rather than internal program structure. Program details, organizational context, and past experiences were clearly separated and labeled, allowing users to predict where information lived and move through the site with greater confidence.
Establishing a design system to reinforce credibility and trust
For a high-stakes decision involving international travel and minors, visual consistency and authenticity play a critical role in building trust. The original website relied on outdated styles and stock imagery, which made it difficult for users to assess the legitimacy of the program and imagine the student experience.
The redesign introduced a cohesive design system with recognizable visual patterns, consistent typography, and reusable components across all pages. Real photography from past programs replaced stock imagery, grounding the experience in authentic student stories and reinforcing the organization’s credibility.
Click images to enlarge. (Upper left) Inspiration for the new design system. (Upper right) The new design system in action. (Lower left) Content layout for a past program. (Lower right) Content layout for an upcoming program.
Impact
While the number of steps to reach certain pages remained similar, clearer labeling, logical grouping, and consistent page structures improved content findability and reduced wayfinding friction throughout the site.
The redesigned system created a more professional and trustworthy visual language while also enabling scalable updates for future programs without compromising consistency.