KCRW Website Redesign
Leading a full-scale website redesign to modernize content discovery and establish design governance
Client
KCRW
Role
Lead UX/UI Design
Tools
Figma
Duration
1 Year
Overview
As lead UX/UI designer, I guided the redesign of KCRW’s website to modernize the music experience, improve content discovery, and establish a structured design process. When I joined the project, there was no centralized documentation, roadmap, or defined design system. The initiative required not only visual redesign, but operational alignment and long-term scalability. This project focused on rebuilding the site’s structure, improving usability, and creating a foundation for sustainable growth. Primary Success Metrics: Improved content discovery, clearer information architecture, and streamlined cross-team workflows.
Goals
• Modernize the visual identity of the music experience • Improve content discoverability and navigation clarity • Establish documentation and design governance • Create a scalable foundation for future features and campaigns
Constraints
• No existing documentation or roadmap • Large content ecosystem with legacy structures • Cross-functional coordination across design, development, and internal stakeholders • Ongoing live site updates and backend CMS updates during redesign
Process
Information Architecture & User Journeys
To improve navigation and content flow, I mapped new user journeys and restructured the site’s information architecture. Key Focus Areas: • Improving music content categorization • Reducing navigation friction • Clarifying content hierarchy • Supporting multiple user intents (live events, music discovery, articles) Collaborative reviews with stakeholders validated structural decisions before moving into high-fidelity design.
Research & Audit
I began by conducting a comprehensive UI and content audit of the live site and previously delivered design work. The Audit: • Identified inconsistencies across layouts and components • Mapped undocumented features and pages • Highlighted structural gaps in navigation and hierarchy The findings established a clear baseline for restructuring the experience.
Strategy & Roadmap
Recognizing the lack of planning documentation, I developed a comprehensive design roadmap outlining: • Required redesign components • Feature prioritization • Timeline estimates • MVP vs. phased improvements This roadmap aligned stakeholders and created transparency across teams, allowing us to prioritize high-impact areas first.
FInal Design
The Redesigned Site Delivers: • A modernized visual system aligned with brand identity • Clear content hierarchy and improved scannability • Modular templates supporting diverse content types • Scalable infrastructure for ongoing campaigns and updates The redesign positions the platform as a dynamic, content-rich experience rather than a static broadcast site.
Outcome
I began by conducting a comprehensive UI and content audit of the live site and previously delivered design work. The Audit: • Identified inconsistencies across layouts and components • Mapped undocumented features and pages • Highlighted structural gaps in navigation and hierarchy The findings established a clear baseline for restructuring the experience.
The updated onboarding flow:
Clearly communicates value upfront
Breaks setup into manageable steps
Uses visual hierarchy to reduce cognitive load
Guides users smoothly toward activation