Thirty Pages. Fourteen Hours.

The Project

When JDA Worldwide agreed to launch two websites with a complete rebranding for a donor-advised fund in a matter of weeks, I jumped at the chance to lead the UX. During the discovery phase for the project, the short timeline wasn’t the only wrinkle: it was determined that both branding and site design would be done simultaneously, and that the business required the temporary site to launch ASAP.

My role was threefold: leverage both existing and new content, optimize user experience through clear information architecture and wireframes, and closely collaborate with the brand team to ensure a positive client response to the new organization.

Utilizing both the existing and new content loomed large at the start of the project – the launch of the temporary site was due only a few weeks after the kickoff. A finely balanced communication strategy was needed to serve two opposing needs: providing continuity for current clients on one hand, while signaling a clean break from the previous organization at the time of the public announcement.

Planning and Interviews

I quickly identified the immediate need to extract, prioritize, and reframe the entirety of the old site. This was done so that no meaningful content would be omitted, and a clear picture could be formed of the most immediate needs for new content creation. With no available documentation of the logic behind the current site, I had to reverse-engineer the site content structure from over 30 pages and at the same time create the new information architecture (IA). The IA document would highlight which areas could be filled with carry-over content, which areas needed entirely new content, and which areas were necessary for the future but would not be ready for launch.

Relying on notes from two brief intake meetings with the clients for guidance, I accomplished the IA creation in a single 14-hour session, providing a single IA document for assessment by stakeholders including the new structure and a comparison against the old structure. This document, in turn, became the roadmap for copywriting, wire framing, design of components, and estimating the workload for development for both sites.

Wireframes and Project Leadership

I then proceeded with wireframes based on the information architecture, provided guidance to the creative and development team, and presented to agency and client leadership. Throughout, I advocated for a component-based system and facilitated communication within the agency team, ensuring the project would meet the aggressive timeline.

After the temporary site went live, the final phase was to pick up the styling from the brand team. I was also involved in defining the visual language of the brand, including elements of the primary identity, art direction for selecting photography, championing compliance with web standards, a grid-based layout, and hierarchy in use of color, typography and information design.

From intake until launch, I provided leadership in the strategy, creation and delivery of the digital presence for this new organization.