University of Wisconsin–Madison

UW People Plugin

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Create profile pages for faculty, staff, and more. Display them anywhere with the UW People Listing block.

On this page

Collage of people listing layouts and individual people pages.

About the plugin

Create profile pages

Create individual pages for each person with fields for names, titles, photos, and contact info. A flexible bio area lets you drop in blocks for longer text, links, or media – so every profile stays consistent but can be customized as needed.

Two layered photos, one shows the list of input fields for people data and the other is a preview of a people page layout.
Grid of 4 people with an advanced search above where users can filter by custom tags. Above the image shows the checkboxes in the block editor for assigning tags to a person.

Organize content with tags

Use tags to group people by type (e.g., Faculty, Staff, Student) or research area (e.g., Biochemistry, Theater, English). Tags power the search and filter options in the UW People Listing block.

Display with the UW People Listing block

Place the People Listing block on any page to create directories, team grids, or staff lists. Choose a layout and add an optional search bar and filters for easy browsing.

UW People Listing block
Grid of 6 people showing the search and filters to the left and above the photo are the block settings like show/hide images, link title and image to a people page, as well as content options.

How to use

Enable the plugin

Go to the WordPress Admin > Plugins > Find UW People and click Activate.

Create a new person page

There are two different ways to add a new person page.

  1. Go to WordPress Admin > UW People > Click on the Add New Person button in the top left.
  2. Go to the WordPress Admin > UW People > Click on Add New Person.

You will be presented with the Edit people details screen to add information about your person. The editing screen is divided into three main areas (see image below):

  1. List View (right column): Shows all blocks in the page
  2. Main editor area: Where you enter details and add content
  3. Page settings sidebar (right column): Where you manage page settings, SEO/social information, and tags

List View (right column)

Open the List View to see all blocks on the page.

Do not remove the UW Profile Details block (lock icon). It stores structured data that powers the UW People Listing block. If deleted, the fields are lost and the page must be recreated.

Main editor area

  • Enter the person’s details: name, title, email, photo, pronouns, etc.
  • Add a bio or extra content below the input fields using blocks (headings, text, links, images).
  • To hide this extra content, remove those blocks in List View.
  • Click Preview to see how the page will look before publishing.

Page settings sidebar (right column)

  • Add an excerpt (200 characters or less recommended) to show in people listing layouts.
  • Assign tags for People Types or Research Areas; these power search and filter options in people listing layouts.
  • Enter SEO and Social Media details to control how the profile looks when shared.

People images

To get a square crop, use an image that’s at least 800px on one side—or exactly square and larger than 800px. Smaller images won’t crop; they’ll display at their original size and shape.

Image that is 600px by 399px
Image that is 1200px by 1200px

Organize people with tags

Tags help you group people and make them easier to find. By default, the plugin includes People Types (e.g., Faculty, Staff, Student) and Research Areas (e.g., Biochemistry, Educational Psychology, Neuroscience).

In the People Listing block, these tags become filter options for visitors.

Tip: You can rename “People Types” and “Research Areas” in the People Listing block search filter to match your needs (e.g., Roles and Programs).

Add tags to organize people

Go to WordPress Admin > UW People > People Types or UW People > Research Areas to create tags for each category.

People Type settings page
Research Area settings page

Change URL structure

By default, people pages use /staff/ in the URL. For example:

https://examplesite.wisc.edu/staff/person-name

You can change /staff/ to another term in WordPress Admin > UW People > Settings.

Example of changing the URL Slug to “team”

Note: If you change this after creating people pages, you may need to set up redirects to avoid broken links. If your site is hosted in WiscWeb, you can use the Redirection plugin.

Display people on your site

After you’ve created individual people pages, you can showcase them anywhere on your site with the UW People Listing block. Add the block to a page to build directories, team grids, or staff lists. Choose from different layouts (grid, list, or cards) and optionally turn on search and filters so visitors can browse by type or research area.

Use the UW People Listing block

Recommendations

Green check mark

When to use

  • You want to create individual profile pages for faculty, staff, students, or other types of people for your group.
  • You need a directory or team listing that can be reused across multiple pages.
  • You want visitors to filter/search by role, research area, or other categories.
Red circle with slash through it

When to consider something else

  • You only need a static team page with a few names and photos — use patterns or create your own layout with blocks (Columns, Image, Paragraph).
  • You don’t need structured data or filtering, just a quick bio on a single page — add content directly with basic blocks or a Card pattern.
A person-shaped figure inside a solid circle symbolizing universal access.

Usability and accessibility

People details

  • Profile images of people should have alt text. Learn how to describe people with alt text.
  • Keep excerpts for people short (200 characters or less).
  • Make sure any additional content added below the person details have the correct heading levels (H2, H3, H4, etc.).
  • Encourage users to keep names, titles, and excerpts concise so listings stay scannable.

Tags

  • Limit the number of tags; too many can make filters harder to use.
  • Keep tag names short and clear (1–2 words).
  • Use consistent wording (e.g., choose either Biology or Biological Sciences, not both).
  • Plan tags in advance so your lists stay clean and meaningful.