After a major rebrand a few months prior, which included a change in the company’s name, the business needed to completely overhaul its website. The task was to create a modern, user-focused digital experience that not only aligned with the new brand direction but also delivered better usability than the previous site. It was equally important to retain and boost customer engagement during the transition, ensuring a smooth experience for existing users while attracting new ones.

* Due to confidentiality agreements, I am unable to disclose the company name or present the final designs in this portfolio. However, I would be more than happy to discuss the process and outcomes in greater detail.

Stakeholder Engagement

We started the project by holding several workshops with key stakeholders, including teams from sales, marketing, brand, and IT. These sessions were crucial in helping us understand the broader goals of the rebrand, gather business requirements, and ensure alignment with the company’s vision. We also closely reviewed the existing website’s information architecture and content, as the business wanted to maintain as much continuity as possible while enhancing the overall user experience

User Interviews

To validate the existing personas, we conducted a series of interviews with users. These interviews aimed to confirm current pain points while also exploring their future aspirations. This approach allowed us to ensure that our design solutions would not only address present challenges but also align with the evolving needs and goals of the user.

Information Architecture (IA) Analysis

Although stakeholders initially agreed to retain the existing information architecture (IA), my team and I conducted a thorough analysis using card sorting methodologies to ensure it was optimised for the new website. We began by running a treejack test with participants, based on the personas document, to validate the current IA. After sharing the findings with stakeholders, we conducted open, closed, and hybrid card sorting sessions with stakeholders and user participants to explore user preferences and generate a new, more effective IA that better aligned with the rebrand and user needs.

Design ideation workshop

We conducted a design ideation workshop with key stakeholders. The brand and IT teams were actively involved to ensure that all visual concepts aligned with the brand identity and were feasible from a technical standpoint (ensuring alignment with content management system). This collaboration was crucial in developing design ideas that were both visually impactful and practical to implement without requiring excessive effort or resources.

Wireframe and Prototype

Based on finding from the previous steps, my team and I created wireframes to map out key user flows and page layouts. These were shared with stakeholders for feedback and iterative refinement. As the fidelity of our designs increased, we developed interactive prototypes to simulate the user experience, enabling us to validate design concepts through internal reviews and early-stage testing

Final UI Mockups

We delivered high-fidelity mockups for the website, incorporating the company’s new branding and ensuring consistency across all pages.

Our design focused on accessibility (WCAG 2.1) and responsiveness, providing an optimal experience for users across devices.

Design System

To ensure long-term scalability and consistency, we developed the first version of the company’s design system. This included standardised components, UI patterns, and guidelines that the development team could use to implement the design.

The system also served as a foundation for future state across digital platforms/products.

Design Handover

Our team worked closely with developers to ensure a smooth handover. We conducted collaborative sessions to walk through design system and specifications, assets, and interaction patterns, ensuring that the final product met our vision.

Usability Testing

Following the launch of the new website, we conducted usability testing to gather insights from real users. This helped validate the design choices we made and identify areas for further refinement in future iterations.