Portfolio
National Center on Improving Literacy
Roles
- Creative Direction
- Brand Refresh
- Web (UX/UI) Design
- Front End Development
Tools
- Photoshop
- XD
- Figma
- Miro
- Dreamweaver
Overview
This project's core challenge was to transform the National Center on Improving Literacy's (NCIL) digital platform from an outdated and disorganized website into a modern, user-centric resource hub. As the Design Director, I defined and led my team in a complete UX/UI redesign, brand refresh, and development initiative to align the online experience with NCIL's mission and improve access to their valuable literacy tools for key audiences, including state agencies, educators, and families.
Challenge(s)
The existing website had a critical design flaw: its information architecture and navigation created a "labyrinth" where resources were difficult to find. The brand identity was also inconsistent and outdated, and the site's inaccessibility created barriers for users with disabilities. This resulted in a poor user experience and a failure to serve the specific needs of NCIL's core audiences. My team and I identified five primary issues that needed to be addressed:
- Undifferentiated User Journeys: The website lacked clear, tailored pathways for distinct audiences, forcing users to sift through irrelevant information.
- Poor Discoverability: Important resources, particularly those for kids, were buried deep within the site's structure, preventing users from easily finding and utilizing key content.
- Suboptimal User Experience: The site's dated visual design and sometimes non-responsive layout created a frustrating and inefficient experience, particularly for mobile users.
- Inconsistent Brand Identity: The brand was disjointed across its digital presence, failing to create a cohesive and professional impression. And the color palette was drab and uninspiring for an education-based organization dealing primarily with kids and K-12 educators.
- Accessibility Barriers: The site did not meet current accessibility standards, limiting access for users with disabilities and excluding a significant portion of the audience.
Approach
To achieve these goals, our strategic approach focused on a phased, user-centered design process. This involved:
- Discovery & Research: We identified specific user needs, pain points, and resource discovery behaviors. We also performed a comprehensive audit of the existing website to identify usability issues and content gaps.
- Information Architecture Redesign: We restructured the website's information architecture to prioritize audience-specific pathways and optimize for intuitive navigation; developing a new sitemap and user flows.
- Content Strategy & Optimization: We developed a content strategy that focused on simplifying language, improving clarity, and ensuring all content was easily scannable and searchable. This also involved tagging resources for a new filtering system not only by audience but also by resource type and topic.
- Brand Identity Development: We collaborated closely with NCIL stakeholders to define a refreshed brand identity that was modern, approachable, and reflective of their mission.
- Agile Development & Accessibility Integration: We adopted an agile development methodology, working in iterative sprints. Accessibility was integrated from the outset, with continuous testing against WCAG standards throughout the development process to ensure full compliance and an inclusive experience for all users.
Result(s)
The redesigned website significantly enhanced the user experience and delivered measurable results for NCIL's mission. The strategic redesign improved resource discoverability and user engagement, achieving a 2.7% click-through rate (CTR) on key resource links at its peak — demonstrating the effectiveness of the rebuilt information architecture and audience-first pathways in guiding users to valuable content and making resources radically easier to find. Furthermore, the brand refresh and intuitive site design expanded the organization's brand awareness and digital footprint, generating 6.84 million total impressions within the first six months after launch. The project also successfully achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, ensuring the new platform is usable and accessible for a broader audience. Finally, the project drove user engagement with 105,000 total clicks on key resources, proving the success of a user-centric design that made content easily discoverable and compelling, and reflecting the positive impact of the brand refresh in making the new platform more trustworthy and engaging.
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