Field notes · The KWALL studio blog
What we’ve been thinking about.
Advice
Drupal vs WordPress for Higher Education: How to Choose in 2026
Drupal and WordPress both run excellent university websites. An agency that builds on both explains where each wins, the six questions that decide it, and when to migrate.
Accessibility
The ADA Title II Website Deadline: What Public Colleges and Local Governments Must Do Now
The Department of Justice ADA Title II rule sets WCAG 2.1 AA as the legal standard for state and local government websites, with deadlines in April 2026 and April 2027. Here is who is covered, what is required, and a pragmatic compliance plan.
Advice
Top Higher Ed Website Redesign Agencies for 2026
An honest, criteria-driven look at the top higher education website redesign agencies for 2026, including how to evaluate them and what to put in your RFP.
Advice
How to Plan a Mobile-First University Website Redesign
A practical, step-by-step guide to planning a mobile-first university website redesign: audits, governance, design systems, CMS choice, accessibility, and what to measure after launch.
UX Web Design
Bureaucracy-Proof Your Higher Ed Website
Higher ed websites are shaped not only by best practices but also by personalities and history. When faculty, administrators, and marketing teams can’t align, students pay the price…
SEO
How AI Overviews Work — and What SEO Teams Must Do Next
In May 2024, Google rolled out AI Overviews to the U.S. search market. By July, they were rapidly expanding—and now, they’re changing how users interact with search results.…
Advice
The Iron Triangle Exposed: Balancing Scope, Time & Cost
In software development, project success is often measured by a team’s ability to balance scope, time, and cost. The Iron Triangle Exposed: Balancing Scope, Time & Cost —…
Accessibility
From Uncertainty to Stability: How One Agency Found the Right Digital Partner
In the world of government and public service websites, stability isn’t optional—it’s essential. Yet too often, agencies find themselves entangled in vendor relationships that leave them vulnerable: outdated…
UX Web Design
The Real Risk of Plugin Quick Fixes for Websites
For organizations investing in a new website, stability and scalability are top priorities. But as one agency learned, the real risk of plugin quick fixes for websites is…
Advice
When “Launched” Doesn’t Mean “Ready”
For most organizations, launching a new website should feel like a milestone—a fresh start powered by better tools, cleaner design, and smoother workflows. But for one agency, the…
Advice
LLMs.txt: Google Says It’s Like the Keywords Tag
What if you could control whether ChatGPT or Google’s AI models read your website? That’s the promise behind LLMs.txt — a buzzworthy new idea shaking up the SEO…
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