Nonprofit Website Redesign

This project was completed in collaboration with I’d Rather Create as part of a larger team effort.

My Role: UX Researcher

Duration: 3 months (February 2025-May 2025)

Tools: Figma

The East Baltimore Development, Inc. (EBDI) website serves as a gateway to the organization's initiatives aimed at revitalizing East Baltimore. However, both user feedback and broader web design standards indicated several areas where the site could be enhanced to better serve its audience. The goal was to revamp the EBDI website to better reflect its mission, improve user experience, and ensure accessibility for all users.

Project Overview

Homepage of the East Baltimore Development Inc. website showing a large sign for Eager Park Community Garden with surrounding buildings and a clear sky.
Community newsletter with sections on local vendor directory, upcoming events, master plan, economic inclusion, and Eager Park; features an event poster with bold yellow and black text reading 'We Are Breaking Ground!', and an aerial photo of a city park or construction site.
Screenshot of the 'About EBDI' webpage, featuring a green sidebar with teal menu options including 'Board of Directors,' 'Financial Information,' 'Staff Directory,' 'Master Plan,' and 'Mission,' and a main content area with text describing East Baltimore Development Inc. (EBDI) and its project details.
Website page about Henderson-Hopkins School highlighting programs for children, with images of indoor play equipment, children playing outside, and shared school spaces.

  1. Outdated

  2. Poor design/layout

  3. Hard to navigate

  4. Lack of mobile optimization

  5. Insufficient information on school programs

  6. Doesn’t meet accessibility needs

Current Challenges and Pain Points

Proposed Solution

  1. Modern redesign

  2. Responsive

  3. User Friendly

  4. Streamlined navigation

  5. Restructured IA

  6. Enhanced accessibility

  1. Modernized visual design

  2. Simplified navigation

  3. Highlight impact of EBDI with storytelling

  4. Improved CTAs

  5. Interactive community map

Recommendations and Areas of Opportunity

My Research

We compared EBDI’s website to four other competitors: Central Baltimore Partnership, Baltimore Peninsula, Park Heights Renaissance, and Downtown Baltimore.

What we were looking for:

  1. Does the website have a clean, dynamic homepage design?

  2. Is the mission statement clear and easy to locate?

  3. Is the navigation streamlined and easy to navigate?

  4. How accessible is the website (colors, text size, alt text, etc)?

  5. Is the content clear?

  6. Is the UI consistent?

  7. Are CTAs clear and easy to locate?

Comparison table of Baltimore website designs, features, and accessibility.
SWOT analysis chart for East Baltimore Development Inc.: strengths listed as established organization, community driven; weaknesses as poor navigation, IA outdated, accessibility issues; opportunities include modern redesign and improved navigation; threats involve competing organizations.
Two tablets displaying a city development website, with one showing a colorful urban planning map and the other showing community event information in east Baltimore.
Three smartphones displaying website pages for East Baltimore Development Inc., with text about live in East Baltimore, mission, and Eager Park community projects.
Laptop displaying a website with the text 'building a stronger, more vibrant Baltimore'.