The DoubleBlind team defined the below elements as the main focus of the project:
Their editorial passion came through in initial conversations about the tools they were hoping for, as well as ideas around bringing more of their content to the homepage. They were committed to a high standard of journalism, and equally aware of ethical and harm reduction efforts due to the nature of the space they were in.
Through those discussions, a site audit, and initial user research, it became clear that the redesign needed to focus less on the overall brand look and feel. Rather, we needed to focus on usability, SEO optimizations, and the ability to surface more of the journalism at meaningful moments for the user.
We developed a foundational design system using the atomic design approach and building responsive components. Providing a more robust library of elements gives the team flexibility in how content is presented, in a way that allows them to scale in the future.
The result is a more comprehensive homepage that showcases the vibrancy of the brand and its commitment to journalism, while still maintaining lines to critical revenue streams. At the article level, we refined some of the original design approaches in response to user research and accessibility, while introducing new features for secondary information, related content, newsletter signups and