U.S. Pavilion

RESPONSIVE WEB ARCHITECTURE & DIGITAL BRAND SYSTEMS

To support the U.S. Department of State at the Dubai World Expo, I designed and developed the official digital platform for the U.S. Pavilion. The project required balancing a public-facing cultural showcase with a functional recruitment portal for student ambassadors. I built the entire experience on a flexible content management system so the operations team could easily take over once the event launched.

Role
  • Senior UI/UX Designer & Front-End Developer
Client
  • U.S. Department of State
Scope
  • Web Strategy, CMS Development, Brand Integration
Agency
  • Thinkwell Group

The Challenge:
Dual User Journeys & Adaptability

The core challenge was designing a platform that served two very different user groups: international guests seeking event info and domestic students applying for operational roles. Because the pandemic pushed the expo back a full year, the site’s architecture had to be highly adaptable, allowing the internal team to manage shifting timelines and ongoing updates without needing constant developer support.

2017 U.S. Pavilion Website

Discovery & Architecture

I started by auditing the 2017 World Expo’s digital presence to establish baselines for localization, accessibility, and content structure.

  • User Mapping: I defined clear pathways for our primary users, ensuring the high-stakes volunteer recruitment funnel didn’t get lost alongside the general event programming.
  • Information Architecture: I mapped out the site’s structure to organize a massive amount of complex information. The goal was to make critical application features immediately accessible without overshadowing the core theme of “The American Spirit.”

Design & Technical Execution

Leading the project from start to finish, I translated the physical pavilion brand into a secure, functional digital product.

  • Modular UI Design: I moved from initial wireframes to responsive, high-fidelity mockups. Knowing the site needed to evolve over a six-month live event, I designed a scalable system of modular, adjustable components.
  • Development & Handoff: I built the custom WordPress site, setting up the secure connections required for a government-affiliated platform. A major focus was structuring an intuitive backend so the operational team could easily update content on their own.
  • Brand Systems: Working alongside our senior graphic designer, I established a cohesive digital design system, extending our visual rules to social media and marketing assets for a consistent launch.

Impact

Ultimately, I delivered a secure, responsive platform that successfully drove volunteer recruitment and kept international guests informed. Because we built it with a scalable, modular architecture, the operational team maintained full control over the digital experience and sustained the brand’s integrity throughout the expo’s extended run.