Designed a fully responsive, scalable website for a content creator, leveraging wireframes and user-centered design for blogs, YouTube integration, and curated resources.
Annie Toth (Travel Creator)
UX/UI Designer
6 Weeks
Wireframes and prototype, CMS setup for reusable content, visual design system, client instructions.
Annie came to me with a homepage wireframe and a clear vision for her next chapter. She wanted a website that could grow alongside her content and guide visitors seamlessly toward her blog, YouTube channel, and curated resources. My goal was to translate her vision into a fully realized, visually cohesive site that both reflected her personal brand and provided a clear, engaging user journey for her audience.
Annie had only a homepage wireframe, so the rest of the site needed to be conceptualized from scratch. The challenge was to create a design that was visually engaging, easy for her to manage, and provided an intuitive experience for site visitors.
I started by understanding Annie's goals for her personal brand and the ways her audience interacts with her content. This involved:
After developing the site’s information architecture and user flow, I expanded on Annie's initial homepage wireframe. I sketched multiple ideas for each page and refined them into low-fidelity wireframes, ensuring clear navigation and intuitive paths to the key content she wanted to highlight. To support long-term usability, I also structured the site so Annie could easily manage repeatable content such as Travel Essentials and Affiliate Products without touching code. This was achieve through a flexible, centralized content system using Shopify Metaobjects.
Although Annie provided her branding assets, I refined their application for the web, ensuring color contrast met accessibility standards. I also established a consistency visual hierarchy across pages, integrating her brand images thoughtfully, and applied the logo and palette to create a cohesive, engaging experience.
The final website provided a fully realized, visually cohesive representation of Annie’s personal brand. Navigation was streamlined to guide visitors effortlessly toward her blog, YouTube channel, and curated resources. The site was built with a scalable structure to support future content expansion, and clear calls-to-action combined with an intuitive layout enhanced overall user engagement.
The project improved both the client and user experience by creating an intuitive site structure and clear content hierarchy. Annie was able to manage and update content independently, even on the go, while visitors could navigate seamlessly between blogs, YouTube videos, and product resources. The visual design reinforced her personal brand, creating a cohesive and engaging digital presence that reflects her style and supports her growth goals.
Throughout the project, I maintained a close, iterative dialogue with Annie to ensure her vision was accurately translated into the site. I shared low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes at key milestones, incorporating her feedback on content prioritization, page layouts, and visual presentation. Regular check-ins and collaborative review sessions allowed us to quickly identify areas for improvement, explore alternative design options, and make informed decisions about CMS structure and reusable content. This ongoing communication ensured that the final framework aligned with both her brand goals and her audience’s needs while keeping her empowered to manage updates independently.
Working with Annie made me realize how important it is to match the platform to the client’s comfort level. Even though I built the CMS to be easy to manage and included guides, she still ran into issues with image sizing and updating content on her own. I learned that it’s worth having upfront conversations about platform limitations and considering whether a simpler option might better fit a client’s needs. It also made me think about offering ongoing support or retainer options for clients who want help managing their site.
I also learned a lot about communication. Even with scheduled feedback sessions and emails, I noticed it was sometimes hard to get timely responses without reminders. This made me rethink how I set expectations, how I follow up, and how I structure check-ins to keep projects moving smoothly.
