- Role
- Senior UX Designer
- Tools
- Figma, Adobe Experience Manager, HubSpot
Overview
Context
A multi-generational family office asked for a modernization of its client-facing digital experience during a CMS migration. The real need was broader: the experience no longer reflected the institution’s identity or how families and staff needed to work.
Work moved from brand and IA foundations into responsive UI for the home experience, a contacts directory, client outreach, and a family news area—so the platform felt coherent from strategy through shipped screens.
As Senior UX Designer, I led IA redesign, design system patterns, and collaboration with engineering on AEM-ready templates—while keeping privacy and discretion at the center.
Challenge
What needed to change
The legacy experience was visually dated, with rigid templates, redundant hierarchies, and navigation that obscured key materials. Critical content lived in static files—slow to update and hard to trust. A lift-and-shift migration would have preserved those issues.
- Content and navigation did not match how families and staff actually use the platform
- Brand expression felt generic rather than warm and institutional
- Privacy and discretion had to be designed in—not bolted on
- The platform needed a sustainable component and template foundation
Goals
Design principles
- 1. Anchor UX in brand attributes: warmth, heritage, and clarity.
- 2. Rebuild IA for findability and confidence—not just tidier buckets.
- 3. Deliver AEM-ready components and templates that editorial staff can maintain.
- 4. Prototype directions (e.g. dynamic family tree) that show what the new platform can unlock.
Chapter 1
Brand direction
We started with mood boards and sample components so stakeholders could align on tone and visual vocabulary before committing to full templates—reducing rework later.
Chapter 2
Information architecture
Site structure was modeled around real tasks and relationships—so navigation reflected user goals rather than internal org charts alone.
Chapter 3
Design system
A cohesive style guide and component vocabulary tied brand expression to repeatable patterns for AEM implementation—so scale did not come at the expense of craft.
Chapter 4
Home and dashboard
The signed-in home summarizes what matters next—updates, shortcuts, and entry points—while staying calm and legible across desktop, tablet, and phone breakpoints.
Chapter 5
Contacts directory
Families and staff needed a single place to browse people and roles. List and detail patterns scale from wide layouts to narrow ones without losing hierarchy or trust cues.
Chapter 6
Reaching out to clients
Outbound communication had to feel intentional and discreet. The flow keeps context visible, supports longer-form messages where needed, and stays consistent across breakpoints.
Chapter 7
Family news — browse
Editorial content uses a dedicated landing pattern so stories are easy to scan before reading—supporting both institutional updates and longer-form pieces.
Chapter 8
Family news — reading
Article templates prioritize readable line length, imagery, and hierarchy on large screens; on small screens the same content stacks cleanly without losing structure.
Outcomes
Impact
- ↑ Modernized information architecture — reduced redundancy, improved findability
- ↑ Clearer navigation and content structure tailored to how families and staff actually use the platform
- ↑ Flexible component library and AEM-ready templates for sustainable content management
- ↑ Stronger client relationship and expanded engagement beyond the original migration
The redesigned experience improved clarity and trust; modular components and AEM integration reduced maintenance burden. The work also opened the door to future enhancements—like richer, dynamic experiences—without another full replatform.
Reflection
Closing thoughts
Legacy systems fail when they stop reflecting who the organization is and what users need. Modernizing is not only about CMS—it is about aligning identity, IA, and interaction so private, sensitive experiences still feel clear and human.