NYU UX/UI Audit & Redesign

Summary

A research group affiliated with NYU Langone had an unfinished website and needed direction for their next steps. I audited their site which led to the site’s full redesign.

Role: I conducted and presented the site audits, then acted as the sole UI/UX designer for the redesign.

The problem

The website development for the Food Environment and Policy Coalition, a research group affiliated with NYU Langone, hit a standstill and the group was seeking movement. The outside developer building the site had reached their limit and couldn’t make any more improvements. The group didn’t have branding, the name was still in progress, and they were overstretched procuring grants and conducting research. They needed a plan for the next steps to finish the site that would help their goal to change food policy for the better.

Research, formerly Publications, before the redesign.

Top of the Research article page before the redesign.

Research after the redesign with interactions.

Video will loop once played.

The solution

The project started as a site audit to find improvements in the current build. The site needed to connect policymakers and media to researchers and present research in a friendly, easy-to-navigate space. The site would also need to be approachable and present information in a unified voice to be recognized as an authority on food policy. I offered two sets of goals within the audit that involved enhancing:

  • Content strategy – listing improvements in storytelling and communication with their audiences
  • Design and usability – focusing on changes in navigation, hierarchy, legibility, and accessibility
Slide from the ux audit for content

Follow the image links to see the full content audit and design audit.

UX audit for the site design

This work helped the agency win a project for the visual redesign of the site. Inspired by the personalities of the group members, I created an element collage that included:

  • Free variable typography – balancing friendly approachability with authoritative research 
  • An accessible, food-themed color palette – to create fun pairings that could be used in other mediums like social media (an area they wanted to expand into)
  • An open-source icon set – from the Material Library to represent their research areas
  • Motion examples – to bring levity to the design
Portion of the research group's collage showing colors, typography, and the temporary logo

A piece of the element collage for the research group showing new typography, colors, and a temporary logo.

Since the team was always strapped for time, the site needed to be as self-monitoring as possible. Pages contained components and structures that automated interactivity so the group could concentrate on their research. The designs also featured content strategy prompts to help guide their content creation when the site is built. 

Zoom around in the window or visit the Figma board to see desktop & some mobile screens.

The result

The client was extremely pleased with the work and surprised at the level of thoughtfulness and interactivity in the designs. They mentioned I displayed “ a passion for the user and the experience.” (It is the only time a client has claimed to have almost cried from being so moved from the designs.) The new site is currently waiting for development.