CASE STUDY

Broad River Retail Newsroom

Project Overview

  • Project Title:Creating a Centralized Communication Hub

  • Timeline:February 2024 – March 2024 (2 months)

  • Role: Project Lead (UX/UI Design, Information Architecture, Content Strategy, Project Management)

  • Platform: WordPress

  • Problem Statement:Broad River Retail lacked a dedicated, structured Newsroom. Official communications were scattered across the website, reducing their visibility, undermining stakeholder trust, and weakening brand consistency.

    • Key Goals:

      • Establish Trust: Centralize all official communications in a single, reliable destination.

      • Strengthen Credibility: Present professionally curated, verified content to media and the public.

      • Reinforce Brand Identity: Reflect innovation and transparency aligned with the corporate site’s design system.

      • Streamline Operations: Simplify publishing workflows and ensure messaging consistency across platforms.

      • Humanize the Brand: Integrate Stories from the River to showcase employee stories and culture.

The Challenge

Prior to this project, the company had no formal Newsroom. Communications were fragmented and visually unengaging. Key issues included:

      • Poor Visual Appeal: News lacked structure and design consistency, reducing engagement.

      • Disorganized Information: Updates were hard to locate or digest quickly.

      • No Archive: Older communications were difficult to access or lost entirely.

      • Disconnected Messaging: No unified platform to express the company’s narrative or milestones.

My Approach

Under the direction of senior leadership, I led the initiative from concept to launch. Key responsibilities:

      • Strategy: Defined the Newsroom’s purpose as a primary communications hub aligned with broader corporate goals.

      • UX Design: Built intuitive navigation and content hierarchy based on media, employee, and public user needs.

      • UI Design: Created a clean, engaging, brand-aligned visual system to highlight stories and press releases.

      • Content Strategy: Collaborated on content structure, categorization, and integration of employee stories.

      • Project Execution: Managed implementation via WordPress, ensuring seamless technical integration and content scalability.

Research Insights

  • Stakeholder Interviews (Informal): Conversations with the CEO, COO, and Communications Director emphasized the need for a credible, centralized platform.

  • Content Audit: Previous content lacked structure, clarity, and accessibility.

  • Competitive Analysis (Informal): Reviewed newsroom designs from major brands to identify best practices in layout, filtering, and archiving.

Design Solutions

1. Information Architecture & Structure

      • New Subdomain: Created newsroom.broadriverretail.com for a focused, authoritative experience.

      • Content Separation: Divided current stories from archived content via intuitive links.

      • Content Categorization: Introduced labeled sections: News, Press Releases, Awards, Community, making discovery easier.

2. User Flows

      • Media-Friendly Navigation: Journalists can quickly locate press releases or explore archives.

      • Employee & Job Seeker Access: Visitors can engage with cultural stories and corporate updates with ease.

      • Quick-Scan Layout: Clear headlines, thumbnails, and white space enable fast reading and better comprehension.

3. Visual & Brand Consistency

      • Clean & Modern UI: Professional, minimalist design with responsive layout across devices.

      • Brand Alignment: Used Broad River’s official colors, typography, and tone.

      • Credible Formatting: Timestamped and authored posts build user trust.

4. WordPress Integration

      • Chosen for its flexible content management, allowing the team to easily publish and categorize content with minimal training.

Results

  • Improved Communication Efficiency: Content is now discoverable, visually engaging, and organized.

  • Stronger Brand Perception: A unified, professional voice reinforces the company’s credibility.

  • Enhanced User Engagement: Visitors can find the latest updates or dive into archives effortlessly.

  •  Streamlined Internal Workflow: The marketing team now publishes content efficiently using custom-built tools on WordPress.

  • Positive Feedback: Post-launch employee survey reported 98% approval, with strong leadership endorsement of the platform’s strategic value.

This project highlights my ability to lead end-to-end UX initiatives, solve real communication challenges, and design with both function and brand impact in mind. By transforming an overlooked content area into a compelling, accessible experience, the Newsroom now serves as a vital part of Broad River Retail’s digital presence.