Project Overview:
This project aimed to transform UGA’s dense Freedom of Expression (FOE) policy into an accessible, interactive experience tailored specifically for students. Using a custom-built website, branded visuals, an interactive campus map, and a policy-trained chatbot, our team designed a tool that makes complex legal information simple and engaging.
The Problem:
The current FOE policy exists as several pages of legal documents that most students never read.
User Research:
We conducted user research to collect insights on our site, and what to incorporate.
We collected a total of 60 responses from UGA students via a survey we sent over the course of 1 week.
Findings:
Goal:
Our project set out to make those rights accessible, understandable, and easy to reference in real time.
This project aimed to transform UGA’s dense Freedom of Expression (FOE) policy into an accessible, interactive experience tailored specifically for students. Using a custom-built website, branded visuals, an interactive campus map, and a policy-trained chatbot, our team designed a tool that makes complex legal information simple and engaging.
The Problem:
The current FOE policy exists as several pages of legal documents that most students never read.
User Research:
We conducted user research to collect insights on our site, and what to incorporate.
We collected a total of 60 responses from UGA students via a survey we sent over the course of 1 week.
Findings:
- 92% of students understand the 1st Amendment, and 70% could define FOE. However, 65% of students were unaware UGA is required by law to provide rules and regulations around FOE on campus.
- 98.3% of students either were unsure or did not receive training on the FOE policy at UGA. So, it was clear we needed to restructure the delivery of the information.
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Because the policy is dense, text-heavy, and uninviting, students often lack a clear understanding of their rights. This gap creates confusion, misinformation, and prevents students from confidently exercising their freedom of expression.
Goal:
Our project set out to make those rights accessible, understandable, and easy to reference in real time.
- Final site (hard coded)
- Project site (bootstrap) hosting downloadable assets and all deliverables
- Handoff document
- Custom GPT
- Branding:
- Visual Design Guide
- Logo (and variations for use case)
- Color (primary, secondary)
- Typography and sizing
- Trailer video
- Promo product poster
- User testing (Demo day)
- User research
- Wireframing
- Figma mockup
- UX Map / user flow
- Persona
- Icons and asset design
- PR / FAQ
- Project plan
- Exploratory Research
Tools:
Each policy point is rewritten in short-form, student-friendly language without losing accuracy.
We also developed and integrated a custom GPT chatbot through OpenAI, trained on the full FOE policy with guardrails to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Users were able to immediately understand the layout, interact with the map, and ask the chatbot questions about their rights. Feedback confirmed that the site made policy information feel approachable, fast, and surprisingly enjoyable — something the original documents could not achieve.
Looking forward, future iterations could include mobile-first optimization, multilingual support, and integrations with Student Affairs for real-time event guidance.