Keeping it custom. 

By optimising the information architecture and streamlining navigation, we engineered a frictionless user journey that mirrors the brand’s high-authority aesthetic.

 

Overview:

ai@cam is the University of Cambridge’s flagship mission to catalyse AI innovation for public benefit. Our mandate was to revitalise their digital presence with three core objectives: elevating the front-end user experience, aligning the visual language with rigorous brand guidelines, and re-engineering the Content Management System (CMS). This transformation not only streamlines internal workflows but also provides a scalable foundation for the initiative’s future growth.

By auditing the existing information architecture and engineering a comprehensive content roadmap, we successfully realised the project’s core objectives. This strategic blueprint optimises their current digital presence while establishing a robust, scalable framework to support the site’s long-term evolution.

 

Industry: Artificial intelligence

Deliverables/Key elements:

• Discovery workshops
• Reviewing the target market
• Target audience analysis
• Mood boarding and brainstorming sessions
• Concept design
• Wireframing
• Navigation Design
• UI design
• UX design
• Interaction design
• User testing
• UI library
• Accessibility
• CMS Planning
• CMS customisation

Key Takeaways:

• Strong visual identity
• Clean customer experience
• Easy to explore the website
• Ability to expand
• Customised CMS

Website: www.ai.cam.ac.uk

 

The challenge: RESTRICTIVE EDITORIAL WORKFLOWS AND A RIGID ARCHITECTURE

While ai@cam launched with an established presence, they faced critical challenges in brand governance and user experience friction. Our mandate was to unify their visual identity and resolve complex UX hurdles while re-engineering a fragmented Content Management System. By auditing their existing infrastructure, we streamlined the digital ecosystem into a cohesive, high-performance platform. The resulting CMS optimisation has radically transformed internal workflows, providing the precision and scalability required of a world-class AI initiative.

 

GET THINGS MOVING

To transform a high-stakes digital presence like ai@cam, we execute a rigorous deconstruction and elevation process. The journey begins with a Comprehensive UX Audit and Brand Governance Analysis, where we identify friction points and ensure the visual identity reflects the University’s “Public Value” mission. A core component of this evolution was the implementation of a Dual-Environment UI, offering seamless Light and Dark theme integration. This allows users to toggle the interface based on their environment or accessibility needs—balancing traditional academic clarity with a modern, developer-centric aesthetic. We then remap the site’s Information Architecture (IA) to unify fragmented research themes into a logical flow, ensuring that, whether in light or dark mode, the “Surface Plane” remains authoritative, high-performance, and scalable.

 

The Optimisation Roadmap

• Discovery & Brand Audit: Analysing user flows and stakeholder touchpoints to align the digital experience with the mission of driving AI innovation for public benefit.
• Strategic Architecture: Streamlining navigation and content hierarchies to reduce cognitive load, making complex AI research accessible across all user personas.
• Adaptive Visual Identity: Developing a Light/Dark theme framework that maintains high contrast and brand integrity across both modes, catering to diverse viewing preferences and reducing eye strain during long-form reading.
• Visual Evolution: Elevating the UI with a clean, trustworthy aesthetic using generous white space in Light mode and deep, sophisticated tones in Dark mode to reflect a forward-thinking, tech-driven identity.
• CMS Re-engineering: Customising the backend to empower internal teams with modular editing tools that automatically adapt content for both theme environments.
• Rigorous QA & Deployment: Stress-testing the theme transitions and responsive layouts across all device tiers to ensure a seamless, friction-free experience.

 

Front-end development and deployment

SEE ME IN ACTION

The technical build of the ai@cam platform was an exercise in balancing academic rigour with cutting-edge digital performance. We moved beyond a standard CMS implementation to engineer a custom-tailored architecture capable of hosting high volumes of complex research data without sacrificing speed or aesthetic fluidity.

The development phase focused on translating the refined UI into a modular code environment, creating a “living” platform that allows internal teams to deploy updates as rapidly as new AI breakthroughs occur. A cornerstone of this build was the adaptive theme engine, which provides a seamless Light and Dark mode integration. This ensures the site caters to diverse user preferences from the high-clarity requirements of academic reading to the developer-centric aesthetic favoured by AI researchers while maintaining strict brand integrity across both environments.

By prioritising a mobile-first, responsive framework, we ensured that the site maintains its clean presence across all device tiers, from laboratory monitors to smartphones. This foundation was then layered with sophisticated interaction triggers, including smooth transitions and dynamic content loading, to mirror the innovative, forward-thinking spirit of the ai@cam initiative.

 

The Solution – ARCHITECTURAL RE-ENGINEERING AND WORKFLOW OPTIMISATION

This transition from a restrictive environment to a scalable digital ecosystem has transformed the CMS from a technical hurdle into a strategic asset. Internal teams now operate with unprecedented agility, reducing content turnaround times and ensuring the platform remains as dynamic as the research it hosts.

 

If you would like to learn more about ai@cam’s project you can check out their website at www.ai.cam.ac.uk or if you are interested in the services offered, you can get in touch with us!