Creating an Online Newsroom for the Media
Overview
Chesterfield County Communication and Media Department
Client:
Role:
UX Designer
Create a newsroom that catered to the media without alienating their biggest user base, county citizens.
Objective:
Problem
The newsroom was already designed to meet the needs of the residents. Residents could go and read up on all county news. But it did not provide any of the necessary information the media looked for when writing a news story. Because of this, The Communications and Media department often got calls or emails for media resources. The Communications and Media department needed to expand its newsroom to cater to media personnel as well. How do we expand the newsroom without alienating their current user base, citizens?
Solution
Communications and media viewed all their departmental webpages as the newsroom. So, my solution had to fit with what existed. I redesigned the department landing page to be a directory and point users to the right information within the newsroom. This landing page addressed both citizens’ and the media’s needs. In addition, I created a section within the newsroom for media resources. This allowed the department to send out one link and media personnel could get all the information they desired.
Understand
Stakeholder interviews
I conducted a series of stakeholder interviews to get an in-depth understanding of the project and its requirements. These interviews included the department director, content creators, and editors. The design needed everyone’s sign-off for the project to be successful.
Competitive analysis
Chesterfield County Government doesn't have any direct competitors. But I still looked at other local government and corporate newsrooms to gathered information on the user experience and the content available.
Technological capabilities
A lot of the requirements relied on CivicEngage technological capabilities. I was unsure if the CMS could handle the requirements. More specifically the download of high res images and videos. I got on the line with tech support to figure out what was possible. Then I looked at other websites that used the same CMS for any workarounds.
Define
The stakeholders viewed all their departmental webpages as the newsroom. So, the opportunity for design presented itself on the landing page. Then create a section for media resources.
Chesterfield County’s Newsroom sitemap
Ideate
Sketch
Sketching allowed me to get my ideas out and make sure they aligned with project goals and requirements. My idea was to redesign the landing page into a jumping-off point for other information. Then move the "about us" information to another page. This way media personnel and residents can both find the information they needed.
Sketch for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom home page
Sketch for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom about page
Design
Wireframes
Based on my sketches, I created wireframes that focused on content prioritization and spacing. Also, I annotated which widgets within the CMS to use during implementation. I used Adobe XD to complete the wireframes and share the design with the stakeholders to get their feedback and sign off.
The stakeholders did not see a need to have two separate pages for about and the department landing page. I combined these two pages in the final version.
Hi-fi wireframes for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom desktop website.
Hi-fi wireframes for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom mobile website
Final designs + implementation
After reviewing the wireframes once more, the stakeholders wanted to make a change. They wanted to make more room for the main content by turning off the contact column. Also, because there wasn’t any content ready, there are a few features that didn't make it to the live version. The "Featured News" section did not have any content when launched, so it was not included.
Final design for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom desktop website.
Final design for Chesterfield County’s Newsroom mobile website.
Outcomes
The client loved the final product. Members of the media were able to get all the materials they needed off the website. The solution did not alienate the client’s core user base, Chesterfield County citizens.