Digital Wave

In a recent webinar by Hannon Hill, host Kat Liendgens shared six trends of High-Performing Higher Ed Websites in 2026.

1️⃣ User-centered journeys to guide decisions.
2️⃣ Personalization at scale for tailored experiences.
3️⃣ Mobile-first experience to ensure phone-first performance.
4️⃣ Content that drives action to focus on outcomes.
5️⃣ Answer engine optimization (AEO) to be visible in AI search.
6️⃣ Operational excellence to sustain everything for the long haul.

Which of these trends do you need help prioritizing?

There is some incredibly cool—and frankly, lifesaving—work happening right now the University of Florida and Johns Hopkins University. 🎓🔥

Researchers are expanding an AI-based model, FLARE, to simulate and predict how civilians, incident commanders, and safety personnel make decisions during wildfires. By integrating these real human behaviors into one open-access system, they’re creating simulation tools that public safety officials can use to build safer, smarter evacuation plans and boost community resilience.

Reading about this got us thinking about our own work. We talk a lot about "good UX" or "clean navigation," but digital tools are ultimately meant to serve real people.

👉 Read the full article here: https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/02/05/artificial-intelligence-wildfire-evacuation-nsf/

Researchers use AI tools to model, improve wildfire evacuation Scientists at Hopkins, University of Florida simulate and predict human behavior during wildfire evacuation, allowing for improved planning and safety

Every decision comes with trade-offs.

Our recent blog explores how competing priorities — from security and analytics to design and usability — shape the decisions organizations make when building and managing their digital ecosystems.

The key isn't trying to have it all; it's understanding what matters most and making intentional choices that support your goals.

👉 Read the full blog to learn how prioritizing effectively leads to better outcomes: https://www.digitalwave.com/2026/06/the-complicated-compromises-of-success/

The Complicated Compromises of Success - Digital Wave Stuck between conflicting website requests? Learn how to navigate website project trade-offs and align competing priorities with your broader business goals.