A hotel website built around the 80% who just want convenience.
The Ridge is NUS's new 185-room accommodation at Kent Ridge, for visiting academics, executive learners and conference delegates. I led the project end to end, from the brand to a website built around one research finding: these guests want convenience, not a sales pitch.
A new on-campus hotel with no name, no brand and no website, for guests who aren't tourists and can't book like tourists.
Led it end to end: research, naming and identity, then planned the sitemap and IA, designed the site and managed the build with the developer.
Launched in 2026. Since opening mid-year, The Ridge has seen strong, steady demand.
"How might we give visiting academics, executive learners and conference delegates the practical answers they need about rooms, location and getting here, in as few clicks as possible?"
01 · The opportunity
80% of guests wanted convenience, so every job came back to “just tell me”.
Get eligible NUS guests from “where is it?” to a reservation request, without back-and-forth emails.
When I’m flying in for a conference, I want to know how to get to campus and what’s nearby, so I can plan my first day.
- Getting Here with real travel times
- Campus map and nearby faculties
When I’m staying for weeks, I want to compare rooms quickly, so I can pick one that works for study and rest.
- Every room described in the same order
- Filter tabs and a video tour
When I’m arranging rooms for an NUS event, I want a clear way to request them, so I know who’s eligible and it’s in hand.
- One Reservation Request in every header
- A plain statement of who The Ridge is for
What I left out: a “Book now” button and public booking engine. Only NUS-affiliated guests can stay, so it would have promised something the hotel can’t give.
Jobs framed from our research. Each arrow is a bet we designed and shipped.
02 · Research
Visiting academics don't browse hotels. They have a conference at 9.
Our research into the target audience found that most wanted functional convenience above everything else: where the room is, how to get there, what's nearby and how to request a stay. That one finding set the personality of the brand (practical, no-nonsense) and the structure of the website.
of the target audience were looking for functional convenience, so every page had to answer a practical question fast.
New to Singapore. Need to know how to get here and what's close to their department.
Here for days or weeks. Care about a room that works for both study and rest.
Short stays, tight schedules. Need meeting spaces, food and directions at a glance.
03 · Sitemap & IA
Organised around a guest's questions, not a hotel's departments.
Each top-level page answers one thing a visitor asks before they arrive: What are the rooms like? What's on campus? How do I get there? Because The Ridge isn't open to the public, there's no "Book now". The one persistent action is a Reservation Request.
04 · Website design system
A calm, campus palette and one hard-working typeface.
I built the site on its own design system: Deep Slate as the primary, with Gravel and Cool Steel neutrals, and Sky Blue, Meadow Green and Clay accents drawn from Kent Ridge's greenery and stone. Roboto runs the whole site, with six heading levels, three body sizes and utility styles, so every page reads clearly on any device.
Design decisions
Every room is described in exactly the same order (size, maximum occupancy, bed type, amenities), so a visitor can compare at a glance. Filter tabs narrow to Deluxe, Premier or Suites, a video tour shows the real space, and each card ends in one action: Make a Reservation Request.
Only NUS-affiliated guests can stay, so a public booking engine would mislead. A single Reservation Request button sits in the header on every page, and the site states plainly who The Ridge is for.
The footer repeats the whole site map, so no page is a dead end. For guests arriving from overseas, Getting Here lists real travel times: Kent Ridge Park in 10 minutes, VivoCity in 15, Orchard Road in 20 by taxi.
The brand's no-nonsense personality carries into the copy: short, plain statements of who The Ridge is for and why it exists. Even sustainability is shown as things guests actually use, like filtered water instead of bottles, daylit corridors and lights that switch off when you leave.
05 · Design to build
I managed the design and build with the developer, Websparks, through to launch. The brand's practical voice stayed consistent from the signage on site to every page online.
Live since mid-2026, with reservation requests coming in through the site.
07 · How we’ll know it works
Live since mid-2026, with requests already coming through.
Reservation request form completion rate
Visits to Rooms and Getting Here before a request
Reservation requests through the website (10+ so far)
Share of requests that are eligible, meaning less admin for the front desk
Live, with 10+ reservation requests through the site since launch.
See where people drop out of the request form, and shorten it.
Let returning NUS guests skip the details they’ve already given.
08 · What I learned
When one insight drives the brand and the website, they reinforce each other. "Practical, no-nonsense" became a naming rule, a tone of voice and a sitemap.