Making genetics education findable for every classroom
pgEd’s redesigned site turns a pile of world-class lesson plans into a searchable Resource Hub, built to Harvard’s accessibility standards and a clean, modern aesthetic.
The story
The Challenge
pgEd’s most valuable assets are its lesson plans. But on the old, aging site, teachers couldn’t efficiently find the right one. There was no way to search by what educators actually need: grade level, topic, teaching standards. Site search was weak overall, the design didn’t reflect the caliber of the team or its work, and as a Harvard-affiliated organization, the site had to meet the university’s highest accessibility standards. pgEd came to us on a referral from another Harvard Medical School client, with expectations to match.
Our Approach
The Resource Hub came first. We designed a searchable directory that organizes pgEd’s lesson plans the way teachers think: filterable and browsable so a biology teacher can find the right activity in minutes, not by scrolling. Around it we built a modern, minimalist ~30-page site that puts the team and its work forward, guided by a content strategy consultation and finished with SEO copywriting for ten key pages so educators searching for genetics teaching materials actually find pgEd. Accessibility was engineered to Harvard’s standards throughout, and a support plan keeps the site healthy as the resource collection grows.
Why It Worked
The site succeeds because it was organized around the teacher’s question — “what can I use with my class this week?” — instead of the organization’s structure. When your mission is putting materials into classrooms, findability is the mission.
The Results
Lesson plans transformed from a static list into a searchable, teacher-friendly Resource Hub
A clean, minimalist design that finally represents the team’s caliber
Accessibility built to the standards of one of the world’s most demanding institutions
Search-optimized pages putting pgEd in front of educators nationwide
Referred in, held to a higher standard.
pgEd came to Elevation on a referral from another Harvard Medical School client, with expectations to match. A content strategy consultation shaped the messaging, and a Starter support plan keeps the site healthy as the resource collection grows.
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