Meet the work of digital experience agency Dexa for Yale

Nicholas A. Christakis, the visionary behind Yale's Human Nature Lab, is a leading sociologist and professor known for his pioneering work on social networks and their impact on human behavior. Our redesign reflects his innovative approach, creating a platform that enhances access to his research while emphasizing his role in advancing the science of human connections.

Reimagining the lab's digital presence with a beautiful, responsive, and engaging design. This project was more than a simple update; it was a complete transformation of the look and feel of the site, turning it into a visually compelling, modern experience. Our team developed a design system that balances aesthetic appeal with functionality, ensuring a cohesive and engaging journey for users at every touchpoint.  Our approach went beyond a cosmetic update. 

We overhauled the information architecture and established a new taxonomy, organizing the lab’s extensive library of studies, articles, and books into an intuitive, user-friendly layout. This enables users to effortlessly find and explore research content while experiencing a seamless and enjoyable navigation journey.

Modern technology supports an elegant design that emphasizes both form and function. We developed the website using Quark - Dexa’s Drupal Design Platform,  with Gutenberg within Drupal, enabling us to build an environment where users can seamlessly access all content. The site is not only visually appealing but also technologically robust, allowing for easy navigation and a comprehensive view of the lab's work. We carried out a complete CMS migration to Drupal 10, creating custom code from the ground up. This ensures a seamless, fully functional digital experience that reflects the lab’s innovative spirit and research-driven approach.

“As Managing Director of the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, it was my pleasure to work with the Dexa team on the overhaul of our website. Our site is a bit more complicated than many academic center sites, but Dexa was able to complete everything on our wish list, improve the functionality of the site, and create smooth-running solutions that resulted in a fantastic user experience. The team at Dexa was also very easy to work with. They set a reasonable timeline and expectations for us, but they were also able to be flexible as changes or delays arose on our end. 

They worked closely and collaboratively with the Human Nature Lab administrative team and with Professor Christakis to ensure that both the front and back ends of the site met expectations. Finally, but just as importantly, their great eye for design made it easy for us to move forward quickly with their proposals, which is different from experiences we have had in the past. We are extremely pleased with the end result in terms of the look of the site, the image helps us present to the world, and with the functionality of important site components that help us communicate our goals and accomplishments effectively. Given all this, and the competitive pricing for the work accomplished, I can recommend Dexa without reservation.” 

___ Thomas Keegan

Executive Director, Yale Institute for Network Science

Our redesign of Yale’s Human Nature Lab website has created a modern, accessible platform that reflects the lab’s influential work. By reimagining the look and feel, establishing a cohesive design system, and enhancing navigation, we’ve built a digital hub that engages and connects with a global audience, showcasing the pioneering research led by Nicholas A. Christakis.