Project Overview

SDXD is a thriving community of over 5,000 experience designers dedicated to professional growth and networking within the UX industry. In January 2021, I took on the role of Head of Brand Design & Strategy and noticed that as the board members held volunteer positions with busy schedules, the website had been neglected, and it was crucial to revamp it to better serve the community's needs and establish credibility with potential partners.

Problem

The existing website faced frequent crashes, hacking incidents, and a chaotic interface. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote interactions increased the demand for a reliable and user-friendly platform. The current state of the website jeopardized opportunities for engaging high-quality speakers and sponsors, limiting the growth potential of the SDXD community and deterring new members.

Goal for the Project

The primary objective for redesigning the SDXD website was to enhance the organization's image and create a user-friendly platform that met the community's evolving needs. By doing so, we aimed to attract a broader audience, high-quality speakers, and sponsors to partner with SDXD and elevate the overall experience for its members.

Approach

Our approach to the SDXD website redesign involved around a cross-functional team dynamic with sub-teams for design, copywriting, research, and development.

We began by conducting research to identify key audiences, exploring initial design ideas, and making crucial decisions such as choosing Webflow as our development platform. To streamline the design process and save time, we adopted the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mindset, prioritizing essential features while noting other ideas for future updates.

We then worked on creating an Information Architecture, design system, and mid-fidelity wireframes. We also gathered feedback from the SDXD advisory board, making necessary adjustments to ensure consistency and improved user experience. The final stages of our approach included usability testing, design accessibility checks, and mobile design development, all of which contributed to the successful completion of the project.

My Contribution

As a versatile contributor to the project, my primary focus was on website design and strategy, but I also assisted in research, OKR setting, and providing Webflow expertise. My responsibilities included:

1. Web design for desktop & mobile platform

   • As part of a three-person team, I contributed to designing the website from scratch, exploring various concepts, establishing a new design system, and prototyping the website for usability testing.

   • I led the design efforts for the community, contact, and home (collaborative) pages, and later took on the legal pages and the entire mobile design.

   • Additionally, I singlehandedly designed the mobile version of the website, incorporating necessary additions to the design system.

2. Setting OKRs focused on task success rate and design accessibility

3. Conducting design accessibility checks to ensure compliance with WCAG standards

4. Researching legal requirements for GDPR, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy pages

5. Recommending and providing guidance on Webflow as the development platform

Outcome

The redesigned SDXD website successfully met the established OKRs and delivered a visually appealing and user-friendly platform for both desktop and mobile users. Key outcomes include:

1. High task success rates in usability testing, indicating an improved user experience

2. Enhanced design accessibility, meeting WCAG's AA standards

3. A secure and custom website being developed on the Webflow platform, addressing previous issues with hacking and crashes

4. Compliance with legal requirements for GDPR, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy pages

5. Establishment of a new design system, streamlining and maintaining consistency across the website

6. Attraction of new members, speakers, and sponsors, contributing to the growth of the SDXD community