NETOLNEW

Improving the user experience and visual appeal of NETOLNEW's website where users can learn about indigenous language revitalization efforts and techniques in Canada.

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<Overview>

NETOLNEW is an Indigenous-led, Indigenous-governed, relationship-based national partnership of scholars, community leaders, educators, activists, and allies working at the heart of Indigenous language revitalization (ILR) in Canada — formed to engage in positive action through collaborative research.

Their website was getting old and difficult to maintain so they decided it was time for an overhaul. That’s where I came in.

<Toolkit>

UI Design
Responsive Design
Figma
Affinity Designer
Affinity Photo
WordPress

<Metadata>

Role

Designer

Completed

2023

<Objectives>

The main goals for the redesign were to streamline navigation throughout the site, enhance content discoverability, and to elevate the overall design aesthetics.

Streamline navigation and site organization.

Over the years NETOLNEW's website had become confusing to navigate and difficult to maintain. Naturally, this was a major focus of the redesign.

Enhance content discoverability.

The primary purpose of NETOLNEW's website is to share knowledge and as such, the design needed to ensure users were able to find the content they were looking for.

Elevate overall design aesthetics.

Create a modern looking website that is consistent, accessible, and engaging for users.

<Highlights>

Here are some of the standout improvements from the redesign, focused on clarity, usability, and creating a more scalable, user-centered experience.

Clear, simplified structure: Reorganized the site architecture and navigation to help users find content faster and more intuitively.
Accessible, cohesive visuals: Standardized spacing, colour, and typography for a more consistent, readable, and inclusive experience across the site.
User-first interactions: Replaced friction-heavy elements like nested tabs and scattered pages with modals, accordions, and scannable layouts to improve usability.
Cultural storytelling on the homepage: Refreshed the intro section with Indigenous language elements to communicate the site's mission right from the start.
Flexible content system: Built reusable design patterns for media, articles, and guides, making the site easier to update and maintain long term.
Responsive & future-friendly: Ensured the design works seamlessly across devices and supports consistent growth with minimal maintenance overhead.