Launched March 2023
Canopy Atlanta's New Look
Time: 9 Months (July 2022 - March 2023)
Role: Product Designer & Developer
Tools: Figma, Miro, Trello, Webflow & WordPress
Canopy Atlanta is a community-powered, journalism nonprofit that trains local residents to report on issues that matter in their communities.
Although it has a strong physical presence in Atlanta neighborhoods, Canopy’s website negatively impacted its digital presence.
This led to the nonprofit asking me to design, build and launch a full-scale site redesign that addresses user pain points and embodies Canopy’s identity and vision.
Deliverables:
- Responsive Website Redesign, Build & Launch
- Consolidate CMS Backend
- Design System
Previous Flow
Inefficiencies in the information architecture and outdated design layout created obstacles for users navigating the site.
Visit Archived Website
Homepage
Main Menu
About
Existing Issue
Exploring the Community
I started with an in-depth exploration of the pain points along the user journey by hosting user interviews and staff feedback sessions.
These exercises allowed me to identify any misalignment between what Canopy is and how the organization is perceived by its audience.
Three Major Pain Points:
- Difficulty navigating and finding desired information
- Outdated design lacks balance between mission and stories
- Expecting more work from users to remain engaged
A Bit of Restructuring
I used the insights gathered during exploration and conducted a competitive audit to pinpoint opportunities for growth when reintroducing Canopy to the community.
With this data, I began restructuring Canopy’s information architecture to help users easily discover the mission, stories and communities.
Modifying the IA also improved staff maintenance and management on the backend for more efficient content creation and publishing.
Creating a Foundation
Following the IA updates, I built a small design system to assist in the new interface design and help Canopy build more consistent components in the future.
Discovering the Future
The redesign was fueled by the idea of “seamless discoverability.”
Main Menu
Canopy’s extensive catalog needed more than one way to categorize and identify specific content when navigating.
Home
Users can dive anywhere into the new online experience and easily move from one section to another based on factors like location, recency and topic.
A Spotlight on Community
Since Canopy is powered by community, we put special focus on two new features that allow users to join the Canopy mission and learn where they are in Atlanta.
Community Map
This map visually explains where Canopy is working and users can easily discover more about the community and Canopy’s process.
Get Involved
The new Get Involved page helps local residents find ways to join the impactful mission behind the nonprofit.
Final Design
In seven months, we were able to launch Canopy Atlanta’s new website experience, with a focus on community engagement and empowerment.
Visit the WebsiteAbout
Community Issues
Existing Issue
Projects & Programs
With a new design system and consolidated backend to accompany the new look, staff and users alike can seamlessly navigate their way through Canopy’s online community.
Canopy Atlanta’s new look embodies what it means to put the community first. By taking into account the unique characteristics of the communities in question, we were able to foster a sense of belonging among our users.
Making an Impact
The interactive and engaging interface encourages communication, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge and resources.
By recognizing the importance of creating online spaces that reflect and serve the needs of specific communities, we could cultivate lasting connections, engagement, and collective action.
The Canopy Atlanta community now has the tools to focus on the issues that matter most.
