The Create Your Own Guide (CYOG) is a Web application used to provide prospective students with information about UT Dallas by creating a custom PDF brochure based on the user’s selections. Originally created and supported by a vendor, product changes and price increases made it more cost-efficient to bring the CYOG app in-house. For this “homegrown” project, I worked with a contracted vendor to recreate the app, while simultaneously improving design, back-end admin functionality, and the “download” completion email.

My role

Project manager: Helped select vendor; defined project scope and requirements; set project timeline; provided brand standard guidelines to vendor’s developer; ensured project followed security protocols defined by IT and database teams; conducted daily or weekly phone calls between relevant team members and vendor’s developer; assisted in resolving a number of unexpected issues related to security and database requirements; gathered and reported issues during testing.

 

Admin Panel Improvements

The clunky, inefficient back-end created by the vendor was revamped: Hundreds of assets are now searchable, sections and pages of the guide can now be organized in a few click-and-drags, and every page is branded.

 

Email Improvements

The new email is branded, responsive, and uses up-to-date photography showing off UT Dallas’ appealing campus.