San Diego Lab Rats
Lab Rats teaches hands-on science to grades K through 8 with actual scientists, out of a discovery center in Carlsbad. They have strength in programs and proof, lacking in structure, since the same content repeats across pages and the things a parent needs most are the hardest to find.
Strengths vs Improvement
What already works on the site, set against the parts that get in a parent’s way.
Afterschool labs, camps, school assemblies, and at home activities all run under one organization.
Courses and WorkshopsThe center address appears in three separate blocks and the philosophy section runs more than once.
Philosophy PageA real impact report for the 2023 to 2024 school year is posted, alongside a parent testimonial.
Impact ReportNews outlet marks are shown but point to no article, so the strongest proof on the site goes nowhere.
Press PageCharter school funds are taken for classes, which makes the programs reachable for a lot more families.
Charter FamiliesScholarships are mentioned in passing and never explained, so the families who need them most miss them.
ScholarshipsThe Direction
Four things guide every change we make. The site should feel fluid, look sharper, get out of the visitor’s way, and sit on a structure that was planned rather than grown.
Layout that flexes smoothly at every width, with real space between sections and quiet motion that never makes anyone wait to read.
One shared style layer, a real type scale, content grouped into cards, and clean semantic markup so every page has a proper outline.
Five items at the top, nothing appearing twice under two names, and Enroll kept as the loudest thing in the bar.
Every piece of content gets exactly one home, which is the thing that stops the repeated blocks from coming back.
What We Are Actually Going To Improve
The short list. Every one of these is something we can point at when it is finished.
Give every block of content a single owning page and replace the copies with links.
Cut the bar down and remove every entry that lands on a page another entry already reaches.
Build the program page once and use it four times so parents can actually compare.
Break the long plain stretches into sections with headings, cards, and room to breathe.
Write the styles once and apply them everywhere, instead of each page making its own choices.
Put pricing, schedule, scholarships, and charter funding where a parent can read them quickly.
New Ideas We Want To Try
The speculative half. Not committed yet, but worth building a rough version of to see how it feels.
A strip across the programs index so two programs can be weighed side by side.
A thin band showing what is currently running, so nobody has to call to find out.
A light color per program, so afterschool and camps are distinguishable at a glance.
A short route for a first time visitor that runs from curious to enrolled.
The New Layout
Six destinations, with everything else nested underneath one of them.
How We Would Work It
Three rounds. Each one has to hold up on its own before the next one starts.
Architecture and navigation
Style layer and program pages
Fluid layout and motion
GitHub Issues
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