UX Research
To create an accessible, visually distinct, and community-driven platform for Other People’s Magazine, the focus was on improving navigation, enhancing content discoverability, and maintaining the magazine’s bold creative identity. The redesign aimed to serve both contributors and readers, ensuring an engaging literary and visual experience.
Methods
- Conducted design audits of the existing website to identify usability gaps
- Analyzed competitor literary platforms for navigation structure and presentation styles
- Held internal feedback sessions with editors and contributors to assess priorities for layout and branding
- Used Figma prototypes to gather targeted user feedback on navigation, visual hierarchy, and interaction design
UX Design
Objective: Redesign the site to support seamless browsing and submissions while retaining the magazine’s playful, editorial feel.
Process
- Reorganized navigation into clear content categories: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Visual Arts, and Submissions
- Introduced a streamlined search interface for quicker content discovery
- Designed a responsive grid system that adapts for both desktop and mobile users
Outcome
The final design preserved the magazine’s bold personality while removing friction points in content discovery and submissions.
Usability Testing
Objective: Ensure the redesigned site improves navigation, readability, and mobile responsiveness.
Methods
Conducted click-path tests to measure how quickly users could find submissions and past issues
Observed mobile browsing sessions to identify touch-target and scaling issues
Collected feedback on visual hierarchy and type legibility
Results
Users found the new category structure significantly easier to navigate
Search functionality successfully relevant works faster
Mobile users notes improvements in tap accuracy and text scaling
UI Design
Objective:
Colors: Kept bold, high-contrast color choices to reflect creative energy
Typography: Used Gothic A1 for strong headings paired with clean sans -serif body fonts for readability
Imagery: Featured large, immersive artwork from contributors to draw users into each issue’s mood
Outcome: The visual system amplified the magazine’s editorial identity, making each collection launch feel like an event while supporting functional readability.
Wireframing & Process
- Created high-fidelity Figma prototypes for homepage, genre pages, and submissions flow
- Designed mobile-first to ensure seamless experience across devices
- Iterated layouts to highlight cover art, contributor names, and issue numbers prominently
Key Takeaways
What Went Well
The redesign preserved the brand’s visual impact while vastly improving navigational clarity, earning positive feedback from both readers and contributors.
Challenges
Balancing expressive, editorial layouts with accessibility best practices required multiple iterations.
Future Improvements
Add interactive community features, such as contributor spotlights and integrated event announcements.