West 36 - Community-First PR Website
Role — UX/UI Designer
Duration — 1 week
Tools — Sketch, Figma, Workfront
Project Overview
West 36 is a joint-venture development project facing local scrutiny. The aim: launch a public relations microsite to inform residents, regulatory bodies, community leaders, and potential investors about the project’s positive vision—without the overt branding that would undermine neutrality.
—Discover
The Problem
Public trust is critical. The site needed to:
Communicate project updates clearly.
Foster transparency and community buy-in.
Function seamlessly on mobile, where most users would access it.
Research Methods
Competitive analysis of how other homebuilders and developers manage community outreach and updates, including static PDFs, newsletters, and microsites.
Identified shortcomings in readability, lack of engagement, and poor mobile usability in existing examples.
—Define
User Needs
Local residents / community leaders: Want clarity, relevance, credibility, and easy update access.
Regulators / investors: Seek structured information and project progress.
Business Goals
Build trust through impartial, clear communication.
Launch quickly, given sensitivity around public perception.
Design Objectives
Neutral, credible presentation - avoid overt branding while maintaining professionalism.
Mobile-first experience for easy access and readability.
Regularly updated content - timeline or news feed to showcase milestone progress.
—Develop
Ideation & Wireframing
Low-fi sketches explored layout structures:
Emphasis on modular sections—enabling quick content updates and flexible structuring. (due to quick turnaround)
Key Features Explored:
Designed a style tile and UI kit for consistent visual language (typography, color palette, iconography).
Created a hi-fi, mobile-first prototype balancing information hierarchy and update frequency.
Reused a timeline component from a prior project, enabling faster development and consistency. This iterative reuse showcased practical time-savings.
—Deliver
Final Solution
Clean, neutral aesthetic powering trust without overt branding.
Mobile-optimized layout with headline updates, timeline flow, and clear modular sections.
Flexible update blocks allowing for news postings, status updates, and feedback channels.
Outcomes
Successfully launched the site within one week from dev handoff, enabling timely community outreach.
Feedback indicated the site helped clarify project updates and eased local concerns.
Demonstrated ability to deliver agile, user-friendly UX under tight deadlines.
—Reflection & Next Steps
The project launched successfully but is now paused for the time being due to shifting priorities.