Cait Dyche

Across workshops, workrooms, and the wilds of the web, I design environments where knowledge becomes participatory, usable, and meaningful to the communities it serves.

I bring together research, content, and learning design to help people engage with ideas—and with each other—in ways that lead to real understanding and action.

I care deeply about clarity, connection, and building things that people can actually use.

And if we have a few laughs in the process, even better ;)

Photo by Steve A Johnson on Pexels

Case Study:

SCCI

School Culture & Climate Initiative

Manuscript Governance & Global Editorial Operations

The Challenge

SCCI’s legacy digital presence featured a flat information structure that forced all users—regardless of their specific organizational needs—through the same dense funnel. This "one-size-fits-all" approach created high bounce rates and made it difficult for diverse stakeholders to understand the modularity of SCCI’s offerings, obscuring the specialized value provided to different sectors.

The Solution

I re-engineered SCCI’s digital architecture, transforming a generic information repository into a strategic diagnostic tool. By implementing a persona-based triage model, I shifted the organization from a static document funnel to a dynamic service-pathway model. This ensured that high-value stakeholders—from K-12 administrators to federal grant-seekers—could navigate to relevant modular services in under five seconds, simultaneously improving client retention and opening doors to new, grant-funded markets.

USER-PERSONA TRIAGE & MARKET SEGMENTATION

I redesigned the digital entry point to act as a diagnostic tool. By segmenting the audience into three distinct pathways, we ensured that users received the exact resources and service descriptions relevant to their unique institutional constraints.

  • K-12 Schools: Optimized for educators and administrators focused on climate and SEL.
  • Residential & Day Camps: Tailored for seasonal youth-development cycles.
  • Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs): A new, high-growth segment targeting community-based non-profits.

A side-by-side comparison diagram titled 'SCCI Service Ingestion Map.' The top section, labeled 'Legacy: Flat Funnel (Low Clarity),' shows a cluttered single ingestion point with neutral gray boxes leading to confusion and low conversion. The bottom section, labeled 'Redesign: Persona Triage (High Scalability),' uses vibrant teals, burgundies, and golds to show a clear branching logic from a strategic digital hub. The hub branches into three distinct pathways for K-12 Schools, Camps, and Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs), each leading to a customized landing experience and illustrating market growth.
SCCI Service Ingestion Map. A process flowchart illustrating the transformation of SCCI’s Information Architecture. It visually contrasts the original flat information funnel with the user-persona triage model, demonstrating how audience segmentation enabled targeted market scalability.

OPERATIONAL REDESIGN
(The Flywheel Model)

I pivoted SCCI's core operational framework from a linear "stack" of services to an Integrated Lifecycle (Flywheel) model. This redesign highlights the continuous feedback loops and iterative growth inherent in school climate work, rather than treating it as a one-off transaction.

    A process comparison diagram titled 'SCCI Operational Pivot: From Transactional Stack to Integrated Lifecycle.' The left section, 'Legacy: Confusing, Linear Service Stack (Sequential & Static),' shows a grayed-out vertical stack of one-off standardized training, assessment, and implementation boxes. The right section, 'Redesign: Integrated Lifecycle (Flywheel) Model (Recursive & Dynamic),' features a large, dynamic circular loop made of three interconnected action steps: Targeted Training & Coaching, Recursive Assessment & Diagnostics, and Continuous Implementation Support. A soft blue 'Momentum' ring emphasizes the continuous feedback loop inherent in the new design.
    SCCI Operational Pivot. A comparison diagram visualizing the operational transformation I led. The linear legacy system (left), which treated professional development as a static, disconnected stack of services, is contrasted with the new integrated lifecycle flywheel (right). This redesign illustrates the recursive and dynamic feedback loops that drive long-term client retention and continuous improvement.

    CONTENT GOVERNANCE & BRAND MODERNIZATION

    To support the new architecture, I performed a full content inventory and modernized the organizational copy. I translated complex pedagogical theories into high-impact, professional language to ensure brand consistency and "grant-readiness" for federal-level applications.

    • Asset Audit: Streamlined the digital resource library, removing redundancies and tagging assets for easier cross-sector discovery
    • Unified Voice: Established a "tone-of-voice" guide that balanced academic rigor with the practical, accessible energy required for youth-work professionals.

    A word-art graphic in the shape of a tree representing the School Culture and Climate Institute's philosophy. The roots are labeled with 'Research,' 'Trust,' and 'Partnership.' The trunk contains action words like 'Listen,' 'Support,' and 'Sustain.' The leaves are comprised of impact terms including 'Belonging,' 'Voice,' 'Equity,' and 'Dignity.' The colors utilize a natural palette of greens and browns with high-contrast shadowing.
    The SCCI Knowledge Ecosystem. This visual hierarchy maps the institute’s core methodology. It illustrates the transition from foundational research and trust-based partnerships (Roots) to active support cycles (Trunk) and the ultimate qualitative outcomes of school climate transformation (Canopy).

    The Impact

    USER CLARITY

    Users can now self-identify their specific organizational path within 5 seconds of landing.

    MARKET SCALABILITY

    The new "YSO" category successfully positioned SCCI to target a multi-million dollar federal youth-development grant market.

    INTERNAL ALIGNMENT

    The Flywheel model provided a clear, unified framework for staff to explain the SCCI value proposition to external funders.