Environmental Working Group

Environmental Working Group (EWG)

• research & discovery
• workshop facilitation
• strategic roadmap
• content strategy
• wireframing in Sketch
• prototyping in InVision

overview

The clienT

EWG is made up of advocates who won't quit, scientists that find solutions, people trying to make the safest choices for their health. They believe that you should have easy access to the information you need to make smart, healthy choices.

the challenge

EWG’s website was outdated, cluttered and unattractive. It failed to tell the story of EWG, the work they do and the variety of resources they offer. The poorly organized site left even fans of the organization unaware of the breadth of resources available and struggling to find the information they needed.

the solution

A visually appealing website that tells the story of EWG with compelling brand and mission language and a strong visual identity. Clean, consistent design and on-page hierarchy make navigation more intuitive and strengthen brand recognition and authority. Improved use of taxonomy surfaces related material, allowing visitors to continue exploring, making the site (as one key stakeholder longed for) “your favorite environmental rabbit hole.”

the process

Discovery

I led the Discovery phase where we sought to evaluate the current state of the website, understand internal stakeholder goals, define the EWG audience and identify their habits and needs, and uncover areas of opportunity for a redesigned website experience. I conducted many of the research and web audit activities and coordinated other evaluations with content strategy, design and the tech team. I completed a heuristic evaluation, designed, implemented and analyzed two user surveys, and facilitated a stakeholder workshop. I synthesized the findings from all of the discovery activities in order to identify insights, opportunities for an improved website experience and strategic recommendations for the redesign.

A few key findings:

Many website visitors were unsure who EWG are, what they stand for, and whether they are a trust-worthy organization.
Design and brand inconsistencies as well as difficulties with navigation and search led to a lack of awareness of all the resources EWG provides.
Poor design led to a frustrating experience for users.
EWG has a very loyal, engaged audience, but even their fans had difficulties finding the resources they needed.

Information Architecture and Design

Following discovery, I worked with the content strategist to design a new information architecture. We also ran a content strategy workshop with stakeholders to determine content priorities and messaging.

I was responsible for designing wireframes. I consulted with the project team to refine initial designs and presented wireframes to the client team. Wireframes were revised in response to feedback. I worked with the visual designer who converted my wireframes into incredible designs. To ensure that designs were implemented correctly, we worked closely with the development team to annotate the designs. During the course of the project, 2 content strategist came and went, leaving me to carry the historic knowledge of content strategy and convey decisions and strategy to the team. Finally, I helped to QA the site.

The new designs utilize a visual hierarchy that reflects both organizational priorities and user needs with clear calls-to-action. The redesigned website makes it easier for users to find all resources available on issues of concern to users, the organization and funders.

the designs

screencapture-ewg-org-key-issues-water-2021-03-14-21_10_53.png

Before

At left, the EWG Water page before the redesign. Of note:

Multiple navigation bars on the site are confusing to users.
A key resource, the Tap Water Database, is not linked to from the Water topic page.
The main body of the page is a long listing of articles, press releases, testimony, consumer guides and research all presented in the same manner and with no visual hierarchy.
Resources in the right side-bar look like ads and are overlooked by visitors. Again, they represent several different types of content, but it is impossible to tell what they are without clicking.

After

The wireframe at right shows the redesigned Area of Focus (topic) page:

The new IA creates parent and child relationships between topics to make the navigation simpler and more intuitive.
The redesigned topic page gives an introduction to the topic and subtopics.
A combined News and Research block as well as the Interactive Maps block show that EWG is up-to-date, scientific and authoritative on important issues.
The Consumer Guides block allows EWG to highlight their most important resources on a topic and empowers visitors to get the information they need to make safe and healthy choices for themselves and their families.
Clear calls-to-action invite visitors to sign a petition or donate to support EWG’s work.
Links to related topics, to additional topic-filtered news, research and consumer guides, and to ways to take action encourage the visitor to continue exploring throughout the site.