Beacon Advising Website
Built a website that helps an education consultant attract the right students and convert interest into consultations.
Client:
Beacon Advising
Category:
Education, College Admissions Consulting, Student & Parent Services
My Role:
User Research, UX Design, UI Design, Branding
The client, an experienced education professional, wanted a website that could clearly communicate her admissions expertise, build trust with students and parents, and generate high-quality consultation leads. The challenge was to translate a complex U.S. college admissions process (essays, Common App, SAT/ACT, scholarships, interviews) into a simple, approachable, and trustworthy digital experience, without overwhelming first-time visitors.
About
Beacon Advice is an admissions consulting service led by an education professional who supports U.S. high school students from 8th grade onwards. The consultancy helps students with early planning, college list building, essay strategy, Common App support, interview prep, and writing workshops.
The goal of the website was to position the consultant as a trusted guide, clearly explain services, and convert visitors into free consultation bookings.
My approach towards the project
Interviews and Discovery
To design an effective lead-generating experience for the consultant, I conducted stakeholder discussions to understand:
How she currently works with students step by step
Where students and parents struggle the most
What questions families usually ask before booking a consultation
What builds trust and what causes hesitation
I also researched the student and parent decision journey in U.S. college admissions.
Interview Questions Asked
What are the main objectives of this website? (Attract leads, provide resources, schedule consultations?)
Can you provide a detailed step-by-step breakdown of how you work with students?
What are the most common challenges students face in the admissions process?
What services do you currently offer and want to offer through website?
What part of the admissions process do students struggle with the most?
How do you help students build their Common App profile?
Do you offer test preparation (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT)?
What do you want students to do when they first visit the website?
Should the website include free tools or quizzes to help students?
Do you want a section for student success stories & testimonials?
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed leading admissions consulting websites including:
IvyWise, Crimson Education, Accepted, Command Education, Quad Education, AcceptU, and Collegewise
Key gaps identified:
Information-heavy pages without clear guidance
Premium branding but low transparency for first-time visitors
Weak storytelling around the consultant’s process and expertise
This revealed an opportunity to design a clear, trust-led consultant website that educates before converting.
Target Users
Students (8th–12th grade) seeking guidance for U.S. college admissions
Parents looking for reliable, expert-led support
The Consultant, who needed a structured way to present services and generate qualified leads
Key Takeaways
Students and parents feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start
Trust is the biggest blocker before contacting a consultant
Many competitor websites push users to book calls without educating them first
Parents want clarity, structure, and outcomes, not marketing language
Free consultations, resources, and transparency strongly increase confidence
Goals
Position the Consultant as a Trusted Expert
Showcasing experience, approach, and value clearly from the very first scroll to build instant trust.Simplify a Complex Process
Breaking down the college admissions journey into clear, structured, and easy-to-follow steps.Drive High-Intent Leads
Making Free Consultation the primary action across the site to encourage confident first contact.Educate Before Converting
Using resources, FAQs, and workshops to build clarity, reduce anxiety, and increase confidence before reaching out.
Beyond Design: Brand & Growth Support
After launching the website, we collaborated with the client on how to build visibility and trust in a competitive admissions space. Based on the awareness-to-retention funnel, I helped translate the strategy into real execution by designing marketing brochures, supporting social media content, and aligning messaging across channels.
This phase ensured Beacon Advising didn’t just look credible but also reached the right audience, educated users before conversion, and supported long-term engagement extending my role beyond UI/UX into brand communication and growth support.
Conclusion
This project focused on designing a consultant-first website that helps an education professional clearly communicate her value and connect with the right students and parents.
By combining admissions research, competitor analysis, and a trust-led content structure, the final design simplifies a complex process and guides users toward confident action. The result is a clean, modern, and conversion-focused experience that strengthens credibility and supports consistent consultation bookings.
“Asking the right questions early changed the direction and quality of the design. Interviews and user conversations became the foundation for every decision I made.”
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