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Pratt News
The site shares updates from Pratt Institute, including Prattfolio and Daily Hub content. The redesign improved user flow, responsiveness, and the content management system. I led user research and wireframing to enhance the experience through collaboration with stakeholders and developers.

Pain Points
The previous Pratt News website was outdated, with poor content organization, difficult navigation, and a lack of responsive design, which frustrated users and limited engagement with audiences.

Opportunities
The redesign improved user flow, added responsive design, and implemented a more user-friendly content management system. These updates enhanced accessibility, improved user experience, and aligned with Pratt’s updated visual design.

Results
→ 70% bounce rate reduced through improved navigation and user flow.
→ 49.7K new users in the past year.
→ Users spent an average of 2 minutes and 19 seconds on the page, with improvements expected.
A group of individuals is working collaboratively in a room, with some seated at a table using laptops and others standing while sorting through documents and boxes labeled “Heavy Duty.” The scene suggests a group project or workshop focused on organizing or cataloging physical items. A presentation is visible on a screen in the background, providing instructions and group assignments. Everyone is wearing masks, indicating the event is happening during a period of health precautions.
Pratt Institute needed to update its outdated news website to improve user flow and align with its upcoming visual design system. The redesign organized the site, improved the user interface, and introduced a more user-friendly CMS. Despite challenges in addressing various stakeholder needs, the project expanded its scope to offer a more engaging experience and serve as a soft launch for the new visual design system.
Improve user experience, launch a user-friendly CMS, and soft launch Pratt’s new visual design system through the news site redesign.
To better understand the project, the team conducted individual and group interviews with stakeholders from diverse Pratt Institute departments, including Communications, Marketing, Editorial, Social Media, Development, and Press. These interviews helped identify individual needs, expectations, and the broader Pratt audience.
• Make the website dynamic with support for various media formats.
• Streamline the system for story publishing.
• Attract users outside Pratt’s community.
• Enhance the user experience with improved search, responsive design, and alignment with Pratt.edu’s style.
Three individuals are working collaboratively in front of desktop computers. One person is presenting or discussing something, gesturing with their hand, while the others listen and work on their screens. A large monitor above them displays design content, including fonts and visuals. The workspace appears to be a design or digital media environment, with the group engaged in a creative project or presentation.
After gaining insights from the discovery phase, we conducted a comparative analysis of five U.S. design schools to evaluate their news websites. This allowed us to identify best practices and avoid common mistakes for the Pratt News redesign. It also helped us understand the competition and determine how Pratt could stand out.
• Highlight the news page on the homepage and consider a subscription model.
• Improve navigation with tabs and back buttons.
• Group content by function, not audience.
• Open external news links in new tabs.
• Simplify user access to experts and story submissions.
After completing the comparative analysis, we conducted a group activity with stakeholders and directors. Participants shared their news-receiving experiences and provided feedback on each step of the process. We also asked them to envision what they would like to see on the redesigned news site and what they wanted to avoid. This activity aligned stakeholders’ needs and expectations, helping us understand their goals for the project.
"How do we do something that feels immersive in presenting the work that our community does? Right now everything is very static—words on a page or photos."
"I would love to see a homepage that’s as energized but also as classy as what you’d see at other news organizations."
• 72% agreed on improving content segregation using tags and topics.
• 63% emphasized the need for better search functionality.
• 54% supported diverse layouts and media types.
• 45% felt engagement could be enhanced through bolder images, interactions, and dynamic elements.
• 45% prioritized improving the user journey by suggesting related content, ensuring external links don’t disrupt navigation, and avoiding overwhelming users with outdated information.
You can view the detailed presentation covering the Discovery, User Research, Comparative Analysis, and Group Activity on the Pratt News project.
An extensive layout of wireframes is shown, representing various stages of the Pratt News website design. The wireframes depict multiple user interfaces, arranged systematically to cover different design elements and functionalities for both mobile and desktop versions. The image highlights the scope and complexity of the wireframing process, showcasing detailed planning for page structure, content placement, and navigation elements.
After gathering insights from user research, the team moved to wireframe design, following a mobile-first approach by creating wireframes for mobile devices before desktop. These wireframes were shared with stakeholders for feedback, leading to several iterations until the final version was achieved.
• Seamlessly integrate Pratt News content into the information architecture.
• Provide a smooth and intuitive user experience.
• Ensure an equal and responsive user experience across all device types.
You can view the interactive wireframes for both desktop and mobile versions of the Pratt News redesign project.
A screenshot of the Pratt News webpage, showing the navigation bar with categories such as Overview, Articles, Pratt Daily Hub, Prattfolio, Press, and more. The page features a search bar for news and displays recent articles below. The clean, minimalistic design is focused on providing easy access to news and updates related to the Pratt Institute.A section titled “Recent Articles” showcases five placeholders for articles with accompanying dates and brief descriptions. The design is simple and clean, featuring minimal text with ample white space. A “View More” button at the bottom suggests additional articles can be accessed beyond the visible ones. The layout is grid-based, providing a structured, user-friendly experience for browsing news content.
The Pratt News website navigation displays all sections, making it easy for users to access different content from any page. Each section provides unique material, and signifiers are used throughout the site to inform users about the content type or function, such as audio, video, or image. These signifiers help users, especially those unfamiliar with the site, understand the content available across the website.
A section titled “Pratt Daily Hub” is shown, featuring a grid layout with placeholders for articles. Each article includes brief text, with ample white space and minimalist design. The layout highlights concise information for users, providing a clean and structured browsing experience. At the bottom, a “View More” button invites users to explore additional content. The design focuses on simplicity and ease of navigation.A section titled “Related Articles” features four placeholders for articles with brief descriptions. Each article block includes a title, short text, and placeholders for images, along with signifiers like “Prattfolio” to indicate content type. The grid-based layout is simple and organized, making it easy for users to browse related content. The minimal design emphasizes readability and ease of navigation.
Each content type on the Pratt News website is uniquely styled to reflect its importance, ensuring users understand the information they are consuming. Pratt Daily Hub features quick, easily digestible posts designed with a “post-it” note theme for on-the-go readability. To keep users engaged, a related articles section is placed at the end of each article, guiding them to further content and encouraging deeper interaction with the website while providing valuable insights.
A dark-themed webpage for “Prattfolio” is displayed, featuring a centered play button, indicating video content. Below, a highlighted article titled “Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis Sed ut” is shown, with the author and publication date (Spring/Summer 2021) listed. The navigation bar at the top provides access to various sections, including “Practice,” “Crit,” “Solved,” “New & Noteworthy,” “All Issues,” “Classnotes,” and “Contact Us.” The design is minimalistic, with a focus on clear navigation and media interaction.
A key request from stakeholders was to give Prattfolio a unique, immersive experience. Prattfolio, the bi-annual magazine published by Pratt, features stories from students, faculty, and the institute itself. Given its diverse and layered content, Prattfolio is the only section of the site that allows for full-width images and videos, ensuring users experience a magazine-like feel on the digital platform.
After completing the wireframes, they were handed over to the creative services team to develop the User Interface and Visual Design. The final design had to reflect the insights from directors and stakeholders while also serving as a soft launch for Pratt Institute’s new visual design system.
Ensure the final design aligns with Pratt’s new visual design system and maintains a consistent appearance across all devices.
A screenshot of the Pratt News website showcasing various sections, including top news articles, the Daily Hub, Prattfolio, and Press. The design uses a clean, structured layout with a balance of images and text. The sections are distinct, with yellow accents highlighting important elements. The bottom of the page includes links to more content, press inquiries, and campus information. The design reflects Pratt Institute’s visual identity, emphasizing readability and easy navigation across different content categories.