| Client | Skills | Project Dates | What is | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Uniting Distant Stars | UX/UI DesignWeb Design/DevelopmentWordpress | June 1, 2016 → December 31, 2021 | What is Uniting Distant Stars? Uniting Distant Stars™, Inc. links future leaders and global innovators to educational resources and vocational training to influence positive changes in the world. |
Uniting Distant Stars Website Redesign (2016-2021)
I had a great opportunity to utilize my UI/UX design, Wordpress, and coding skills in redesigning Uniting Distant Stars as I graduated from MCTC in 2016 and receiving an AAS degree in Web/UX Design.
I met Heather Cannon (one of UDS's CEOs and Co-founders) in late May 2016, soon after I graduated from MCTC. She wanted someone to help her redesign the Uniting Distant Stars website for a more engaging and responsive experience.
Challenges
To digitally improve the online presence of Uniting Distant Stars.
Design Process
Since I was creating a responsive website, I based my design process on Design Thinking approaches and followed the process below:
- Discovery
- Solution
- Iteration
- Implementation
Auditing the Old UDS Website (Discovery)
Some design issues with the older site included an aging layout, static navigation and widgets, and the site itself was not responsive or designed for desktop use only. Here's what the old Uniting Distant Stars Blogspot site looked like:
Uncovering Uniting Distant Star’s Needs (Discovery)
During the discovery phase, while talking with Heather, I wanted to dig deep on what the most pressing concerns were in order to create the best online experience for Uniting Distant Stars.
- Using Google Analytics, Heather and I discovered that most of the visitors to UDS came from the US, so we proceeded to redesign the site to be responsive so that visitors can easily get info and enjoy media on various devices
- Heather was aiming that the redesign would allow her to also post her latest blogs to the homepage, gaining more traction to the latest news and events
- Heather was inspired by other nonprofit websites such as True Sanctuary and the Nobel Peace Prize Forum
- Kinds of feelings and responses we wanted to the new UDS site we wanted to impart users included: Fun, Inspirational, Sharing Positivity, Finding news affecting Youth, Gratitude, and “Be (young people’s) Shining Self!”
Sketching Initial Wireframes (Iteration)
After Heather and I met, I got to work making a few sketches of what I thought a new UDS subject page would look like, as well as the main blog page.
My sketches were inspired by existing blog themes and include some common UI elements (grid galleries, headlines with text, sidebar archive, etc).
It was from these sketches that Heather wanted me to find a similar Wordpress theme to help bring the sketches to life!
Defining What We Needed from a Wordpress Theme (Solution)
Using the notes and sketches I made above, I got to work in choosing and customizing a WordPress theme, as well as plugins, for UDS that would...
- Be Responsive (be viewed beautifully on all devices)
- Post Heather’s blog posts onto the front page for optimal readership
- Have page layouts and widgets that highlight UDS’s news, photos, media and new user engagement/social media campaigns
- Highlight a visual style that reflects the vibrant blue and yellow of the UDS school colors. I made it a priority to keep the text readable and contrast high
- Put Newsletter Signup and Donate buttons higher up front and center ensuring greater user engagement and support for the UDS mission
Takeaways
In Spring 2017, the new UDS website was online. The process in transforming it resulted in
- Increased growth in visitor traffic and engagement by 50%
- Spikes in monetary donations and volunteer interest
- More opportunities to refine and improve the site design and Wordpress upgrades
