Implementing a global website refresh and brand evolution

Before redesigning the website, we needed to understand what success looked like. Working with cross-functional teams, we reviewed analytics, audience behavior, content performance, and organizational priorities to identify opportunities for improvement. These insights helped shape the goals for the refresh: creating a more intuitive user experience, improving content discoverability, supporting key audience journeys, and building a flexible digital foundation for EDF’s evolving brand.

With our goals established, we focused on one of the most critical elements of the website experience: navigation. Through internal workshops, stakeholder discussions, and multiple rounds of iteration, we evaluated how users were finding information and where the existing structure created friction. The team developed and tested new navigation concepts, ultimately creating an expandable menu system featuring imagery, featured content, and clearer pathways to EDF’s priority issues and programs.

A successful refresh required more than a visual update — it required us to rethink how EDF’s content was organized and structured. We developed a new content architecture designed around user journeys, organizational priorities, and the different ways audiences engage with EDF’s work. This included defining a range of page types and content models that could support everything from high-level mission storytelling to detailed reports and campaign initiatives.

Once the content framework was established, we translated each content type into a distinct digital experience. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all template, we designed page structures onto our Drupal CMS based on the purpose of each audience journey — whether educating users about a global issue, showcasing organizational impact, highlighting a campaign, or providing access to research and resources. These flexible templates created consistency across the site while allowing EDF’s teams to tell different types of stories effectively.

The refresh also served as a key opportunity to evolve EDF’s digital presence alongside its updated brand identity. Working across design, development, communications, and program teams, we implemented new visual elements, updated page layouts, and refined digital patterns across the main website and 10+ microsites. The result was a more cohesive ecosystem that reflected EDF’s mission while creating a consistent experience across platforms.

Following the launch, I led the ongoing collection and analysis of website analytics, user engagement metrics, and scroll map data to evaluate how audiences were navigating the site. By partnering with colleagues across marketing and communications, we established performance benchmarks, identified friction points, and developed recommendations for future improvements. These insights were shared with both the 50+ person marketing team and senior leadership, creating a continuous feedback loop that kept the website aligned with user needs and organizational goals.