WTOP
Crafting a stronger brand and an award-winning* platform for all users.
Final production version of the WTOP homepage launched on May 1, 2017. WTOP.com
Staying on Top
WTOP was founded in the 1920's and their four letter callsign has come to represent its status as "Washington's Top News." To better serve listeners, WTOP has also established a website to serve as an online hub for Washington Metro area news, traffic, and weather. This not only allowed WTOP to reach an untapped audience beyond radio, but also provide an additional method of staying up-to-date on the latest local news.
Challenge
Analyze the current user experience and create a more tailored experience that seamlessly delivers news, traffic, and weather information to users on all types of devices. This digital transformation must elevate our online brand presence and stand out among our competitors.
breaking news
After conducting an information architecture (IA) assessment and leading a UX design analysis, my team discovered that we were presenting too much information to the user. Due to an overcrowded menu bar and oversized images, users often had to scroll down excessively to reach the website's most searched-for information. Upon winning stakeholder buy-in among high level management personnel, we embarked on a website redesign hyper-focused on delivering exactly what our research revealed that WTOP audiences wanted.
Output
Viewership has increased 35% in the first year following the site launch. Ultimately, this project has helped pave the way for the future growth of WTOP's online brand and digital news.
* This website garnered 1st Place for Outstanding Website from the 2017 Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association and the 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Website.
Interviews
My process began with an in-depth dive into the audience's minds. After crafting a questionnaire, I conducted interviews with a select segment of dedicated long-time visitors to better understand their daily habits, behaviors, and motivations behind why they visit WTOP.com.
Shown here is a sample of the heat map data used in my research.
Historical Data
By understanding the historical data of our heat maps we were able to validate our data from our interviews and confirm why certain features of the website were used more often than others.
Competitive Analysis
I then performed a competitive analysis of the current WTOP website and other local, national, and global news platforms. This revealed our shortcomings and areas of improvement.
Dissecting the Problem
After conducting a competitive analysis, we took a closer look on our website and examined specific areas that could be improved by either removing or relocating them.
Designing Solutions
The images below are a few of the early concepts I created for leadership. By eliminating redundant features and relocating key functions of the website, we were able to dramatically streamline valuable header space thus allowing our top stories and breaking news to appear first. In essence, this new design represents a return to one of WTOP's core values - to deliver news, traffic, and weather tailored to Washingtonians when and where they want it.
Prior to Launch
I served as the primary point of contact for stakeholders and was responsible for integrating changes based on feedback into the final design. After the design was signed off by senior leadership, I created final design specs and worked directly with our in-house team of web developers to execute WTOP's vision.
The site was launched on May 1, 2017.
…And Beyond
This project was an enormous success, especially considering our limited time and resources. Viewership has increased 35% in the first year following the site launch. Ultimately, this project has helped pave the way for the future growth of WTOP's online brand and digital news.
* This website garnered 1st Place for Outstanding Website from the 2017 Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association and the 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Website.