How Wittenborg turned a functional website into a strategic asset

Improvements were needed on both the front end and back end, which required tight coordination within the development team.

Creating a mobile version was a separate task that had to be tackled from scratch.

Additionally, the website’s architecture had its own specifics, which called for intelligent approaches:

• Layout and content blocks were mixed, making content editing difficult and prone to layout errors.
• Video accessibility was limited—students in certain regions couldn’t view video content due to YouTube’s regional restrictions.
• The search engine lacked precision, making it harder to deliver targeted information to the audience.

The project also required our team to apply a marketing mindset when choosing technical solutions. The ultimate goal was to create a website that would not only attract students effectively but also build trust with the entire community of students, partners, and stakeholders.

The task was multidimensional, so we started with a discovery phase to ensure consistent, well-aligned steps along the way.

To recreate the website while preserving its DNA, we involved the following capabilities:

• Mobile-first theme development. We designed and implemented a custom Drupal 10 theme from scratch, following a mobile-first approach. Responsive images, videos, and key interactive elements were optimized for performance across all devices using best practices and testing tools like Lighthouse.
• Search engine improvement. The internal search functionality was reworked with better indexing logic and enhanced UX to deliver more relevant and accessible results.
• Content management simplification. We introduced a paragraph-based content structure, enabling non-technical editors to update content independently and without disrupting design.
• Decoupling layout from content. Selected pages and content types were rebuilt to ensure a clear separation between layout and content—making editing simpler and reducing structural risks.
• Localized video hosting. We developed a custom video upload feature that enabled WUAS to host videos directly on its server, removing the dependency on third-party platforms with regional restrictions.
• Dependency management automation. We transitioned the site to a Composer-based architecture, automating module, library, and version control processes to improve maintainability.

Each solution was chosen not only to solve a problem, but to strengthen the platform’s ability to serve a global academic community—efficiently, accessibly, and reliably.

The difference between “good enough” and “built to lead”

The value of the results goes beyond the sum of individual tasks because coordinated efforts brought a new level of technical capability and marketing power to the website:

• High performance across all devices. The new mobile-first theme delivered excellent results in performance testing, successfully meeting Google’s Core Web Vitals and scoring high in Lighthouse evaluations.
• Improved information discovery. The enhanced search engine now returns faster, more relevant results making it easier for prospective students and applicants to find what they’re looking for.
• Editor-friendly content updates. Thanks to the paragraph-based structure, content editors can now update pages without developer assistance—reducing bottlenecks and eliminating layout risks.
• Stable and scalable architecture. The clear separation between layout and content improved long-term maintainability and reduced the risk of breaking the design during routine edits.
• Uninterrupted video access worldwide. With self-hosted videos replacing region-restricted embeds, students across all geographies now enjoy uninterrupted access to media content.
• Streamlined technical maintenance. Composer-based dependency management replaced manual processes, saving time and minimizing the risk of version conflicts during updates and ongoing support.

The Wittenborg case shows how the line between “good and performative” and “powerful and up-to-date” can seem subtle until real transformation happens.

You put in the coordinated, thoughtful effort of the development team and get a website operating at its full potential.