Description
Desigining a digital presence for the big showcase of Pratt graduating students.
Team: Shruti Pendharkar, Jacob Lee, Aadithyan Mannarmannan, Hiral Parmar, Ben Somwong
Client
Pratt Shows
Year
2026
Services
Product Design · UX
Problem (The Why)
How might we create a cohesive digital experience that brings together projects of varied scales, themes, and approaches while preserving the distinct identity of each?
The website needed to bring a diverse collection of thesis projects into one shared experience while preserving the individuality of each student’s work. The design challenge was to balance a cohesive identity for the graduating class with clear pathways for discovering projects, exploring themes, and connecting students with their work.
Research (The How)
The design process focused on organizing the cohort’s work and understanding how visitors would navigate between project themes, individual theses, and student profiles. Research involved working with the graduating class to understand their projects and how they wanted their work to be represented. We also analyzed previous graduate showcase websites to identify patterns in navigation, content structure, and project presentation, using these insights to shape a cohesive and intuitive experience.
Solution (The What )
The website brings the cohort’s work together through three design decisions: grouping projects by shared themes, using color to make each theme easily identifiable, and simplifying navigation to connect each project with its student. The landing page introduces the cohort through scrollable sections that reveal projects across different themes. A reusable page structure made it easier to add and consistently present all projects.
Impact
The platform made the graduating cohort’s work accessible to audiences who were not able to attend the show in person. Clear navigation helped visitors explore the breadth of projects without feeling overwhelmed. It also sparked conversations across departments and broadened awareness of the cohort’s work.
