KPBS
🚧This project is still ongoing as of Spring 2022.
In late 2021 KPBS migrated its website to Brightspot Enterprise CMS in order to deepen journalism and content collaboration with other NPR member stations. This work involved overhauling KPBS content over a decade old. The project improved overall site accessibility, user experience and reorganized the site's information architecture. Since the new website’s launch newsletter sign-ups have steadily increased. Keep reading to get the details.
Accessibility
As a licensed organization to SDSU, the KPBS website uses accessible web design best practices and Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) as guiding principles to meet the W3C-WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level AA. This is, in part, to serve the general public regardless of disability.
Improved User Experience
The leading principles to providing a better user experience on this project were reduction of cognitive load, consistency, and collaboration. Cognitive load was reduced on the users' part by applying UX psychological principles such as Gestalt theory and UI principles like visual hierarchy, balance, and contrast to lead users throughout the site.
Information Architecture
Information architecture (IA) is a pillar of UX design that focuses on organizing and categorizing the structure of a website [or another type of project] in an effective and relatively intuitive manner. Since the site had years’ worth of content, the first step was to create a site map. The site map helped identify what could be migrated to the new site and what would be archived. New pages were created when necessary or sometimes multiple pages were merged into one when appropriate. Card sorting and tree branching were then used to create more effective header navigation that didn’t derive too far from the original navigation to not confuse older audiences. The site map also later aided in the wireframes and wire flows and helped to identify opportunities for sub navigations that would engage users further.
