Higher Education

Research to Real World

Making University Research Easier to Find and Use

Timeline
4 Months
Platform
WordPress + Kadence + WooCommerce
Research to Real World homepage showing the hero and the featured resources catalog

Visit researchtorealworld.org

The Brief

Juniper Gardens develops and studies classroom programs such as CW-FIT, I-Connect and IGDIs for teachers and schools around the world. A research paper, a classroom tool and a resource a teacher can find through search are three different things. We helped turn that research into a site teachers and practitioners could find, understand and use. Practitioners rarely begin with a program name. They start with the problem in front of them: classroom behavior, student engagement, early literacy, or another immediate need. The site needed to help them start there.

How We Did It

How We Built It

  1. Six Stakeholder Interviews

    Juniper Gardens researchers walked us through the evidence behind each program. Our task was to identify which findings and tools could become useful, standalone resources for practitioners.

  2. Organized Around Real Needs

    We mapped the content structure before anyone designed a page. Topic pages bring related research and resources together. Resource pages explain what each tool is for, who it helps and how to use it.

  3. Brand Translated for the Web

    Blake developed the wireframes and visual design from the client's existing identity. The ten-frame motif from the logo appears in section headings and page dividers, tying the web design back to the existing brand.

  4. Built on Kadence

    We built the site in WordPress and WooCommerce, then turned the design into reusable Kadence block patterns. The team can add new pages and resources without rebuilding layouts or calling a developer for every update.

  5. Planned Around KU Payments

    KU's payment system does not currently support native WooCommerce checkout, so visitors complete purchases through KU uStore. The catalog and product data are already structured for WooCommerce, so nothing needs rebuilding if that changes.

The Finished System

How the Site Works

A resource page works best when a visitor already knows what they need. Many practitioners are one step earlier: they are searching for help with a problem in their classroom. The catalog is organized around the topics practitioners search for, not only the names of the programs behind them. That gives teachers a useful starting point even when they have never heard of CW-FIT or IGDIs.

Resources Are Structured Content

Every resource has the same fields for topic, audience, format and partner. Adding a new entry means completing a consistent set of fields rather than building a page from scratch. The catalog can grow without becoming harder to browse or filter.

Insights Help People Find Resources

Articles and resources use the same topic and audience terms, so related pages can point visitors from one to the other. An article about a classroom challenge can explain the research, then point readers toward a resource they can use next. The result is a connected system rather than a blog and catalog that happen to share a menu.

The Team Turns Research Into Resources

Turning a research finding into a useful classroom resource takes editorial judgment: what a practitioner needs to know, what needs context and what should remain in the underlying research. We trained the team to use AI for first-draft support. Researchers remain responsible for accuracy, interpretation and final approval.

Visual Evidence

Visual Evidence

Homepage: Start With the Classroom Need

Research to Real World homepage showing a featured resources section, topic navigation and classroom-support categories.
The homepage leads with featured resources and searchable topics. A teacher looking for classroom-behavior support can begin there without already knowing the CW-FIT program name.

Resource Page: From Evidence to a Usable Teacher Kit

CW-FIT Teacher Kit resource page showing the description, tabbed contents, structured fields for type and topic, and a quote request form.
The CW-FIT Teacher Kit page explains what the kit is for, what it includes, the evidence behind it and how to request it. Shared fields for type, topic, partner and audience keep every resource page consistent.

Brand System: Existing Identity Adapted for the Web

  • Brand Blue #0051BA Links and buttons
  • Sky #73CBF2 Accent
  • Wheat #FFC82D Topic tags
  • Crimson #FF3042 Accent dot
  • Pale Blue #E1EEF9 Hero bands
  • Surface #DDE5ED Cards and panels
Each color has a defined interface role. We added the supporting values the site's layouts and components needed, while keeping the system rooted in Juniper Gardens' existing identity.

At Launch

What Launched

A Public Resource Catalog, Built in Four Months

Research to Real World launched publicly on July 1, 2026. The project ran from March through June and began with six stakeholder interviews.

A Clearer Path From Research to Practice

Resources provide practical tools. Insights explain the research and the classroom challenges those tools address. Topic pages connect related resources and insights.

A Catalog the Team Can Keep Growing

The team can add resources, partners and supporting content through structured fields and reusable block patterns, without rebuilding each entry from scratch. The same approach works wherever an organization needs to organize a growing set of services, programs, products, locations or resources without making every addition a custom development project.

Project Details

Services

Platform and Tools

  • WordPress
  • WooCommerce
  • Kadence Theme
  • Kadence Blocks
  • Advanced Custom Fields
  • Formidable Forms
  • Cloudflare Turnstile
  • Rank Math

Related Work

Expertise Nobody Can Find?

If your organization knows things worth sharing and the website is not helping the right people find them, we can talk about what it takes to close that gap.

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