Blog Redesign
Rapid brand transformation under pressure
Overview
Shelter Scotland's bold new activist brand launched in May 2021, requiring immediate digital transformation across all touchpoints. I joined the same week and was tasked with redesigning the blog to reflect this new activist positioning within a critical two-week timeline.
This high-pressure project demanded rapid stakeholder alignment while learning new tools and translating brand guidelines into functional digital experiences for diverse professional audiences.
My Role & Impact
- Led rapid discovery methodology to extract critical user insights within 3 days
- Developed proto-personas representing policy professionals, campaigners, and communications teams
- Designed comprehensive 4-page structure supporting diverse content types and user journeys
- Delivered pixel-perfect designs and seamless developer handoff within 2-week timeline
- Achieved successful launch with positive stakeholder feedback during major brand transformation
Research and Discovery
With only 3 days for discovery, I designed a rapid insight methodology focused on extracting maximum user understanding within extreme time constraints. Traditional research cycles weren't viable, requiring innovative approaches to gather critical insights.
I conducted intensive stakeholder interviews across internal teams to understand blog usage patterns, content needs, and brand alignment requirements. This revealed three distinct user archetypes requiring different content experiences and navigation patterns.
Policy professionals needed deep, searchable content with clear attribution. Campaigners required shareable content with strong visual hierarchy. Communications staff needed efficient content management workflows that reflected the new activist positioning while maintaining professional credibility.
Problem Definition and Strategy
How might we rapidly transform the blog to reflect Shelter's new activist brand while serving diverse professional user needs and maintaining usability under extreme time pressure?
I identified four critical page types requiring cohesive redesign: homepage with content discovery, individual article pages optimized for reading, topic hubs for content categorization, and search functionality with comprehensive empty states.
The challenge was balancing bold activist positioning with professional credibility needed for policy work. Each page type required different optimization strategies while maintaining consistent brand expression and supporting rapid development within CMS constraints.
Design and Implementation
I translated user insights into wireframes, then developed high-fidelity mockups in Figma using Shelter's new design system. Learning the tool while designing required efficient workflow development and daily collaboration with developers to ensure technical feasibility.
Key Design Decisions
Homepage Discovery
Created clear content discovery with featured articles and topic navigation, balancing activist brand expression with professional accessibility for policy research.
Article Optimization
Improved reading experience with enhanced typography hierarchy, shareable content blocks, and clear attribution systems for diverse user needs.
Topic Hub Structure
Designed intuitive categorization system enabling campaigners to find shareable content while supporting policy professionals' research workflows.
Search & Discovery
Comprehensive search functionality with helpful guidance when content isn't found, maintaining user engagement during unsuccessful searches.
Collaborative Development Process
Daily collaboration with developers ensured technical feasibility within CMS constraints. The systematic approach focused on component consistency and clear specifications to enable smooth handoff while learning Figma's workflow patterns.
Each page type was designed to support specific user needs while maintaining cohesive brand expression across the activist-to-professional spectrum, creating a foundation that could scale across other digital touchpoints during the broader transformation.
Outcomes and Impact
The blog redesign launched successfully alongside Shelter's brand refresh, achieving immediate digital brand alignment during a critical organizational transformation. The systematic design process enabled quality delivery despite learning new tools under extreme time pressure.
Stakeholder feedback was positive across all user groups, with the design system components and patterns being reused in subsequent projects. The project demonstrated that structured methodology and collaborative approach can deliver professional outcomes even when facing tool learning curves and aggressive timelines.
Strategic Insights
Three critical learnings that shaped my approach to rapid brand implementation and crisis delivery.
Rapid Insight Methodology
Even under extreme time pressure, structured stakeholder engagement and lightweight persona development deliver better design decisions than proceeding without user understanding. Three days of focused research prevented weeks of iteration.
Tool Agility Under Pressure
Learning new design tools while maintaining delivery quality requires systematic workflow development and intensive developer collaboration. Constraints often improve process clarity and specification quality.
Brand Implementation Strategy
Successful brand translation into functional digital experiences requires balancing visual consistency with user journey optimization, particularly when serving diverse professional audiences with conflicting needs.