Product Design

Rebuilding an Internal Intranet Post-MVP

Redesigned a global organization’s internal intranet beyond MVP by restructuring content hierarchy, validating decisions through user research, and improving engagement for distributed teams.

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May 2024

Compassion International

Compassion International Logo

5 min

Yes

Compassion International Thumbnail

Information Architecture

UX Research

Content Strategy

Overview

Context

Compassion International’s intranet served as a primary internal communication hub for staff across regions. While the platform had launched as an MVP, teams struggled with content discoverability, inconsistent hierarchy, and limited engagement.

My Role

I worked as a Visual Designer and UX Researcher, leading research efforts and design improvements in close collaboration with internal stakeholders.

Tools

Figma

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

The Challenge

Although the intranet was live, it had not scaled well with growing organizational needs. Key challenges included:

  • Unclear homepage hierarchy and content prioritization

  • Inconsistent navigation patterns across sections

  • Limited insight into how different teams actually used the platform

The goal was to improve usability and engagement without disrupting an already-live internal system.

Challenge Image 1_Compassion International
Challenge Image 2_Compassion International

Research & Design Approach

I grounded design decisions in qualitative research to move beyond assumptions.

  • Designed and distributed questionnaires to internal users

  • Conducted 10 user interviews across roles and regions

  • Synthesized findings using card sorting to uncover shared pain points and mental models

Insights from research directly informed homepage restructuring, navigation updates, and content grouping—ensuring the intranet reflected how teams actually searched for information.

Approach Image_Compassion International

Information Architecture & Visual Updates

Based on research findings, I:

  • Reorganized homepage layout to surface high-priority content

  • Refined content hierarchy to reduce scanning friction

  • Updated visual styling and branding to improve clarity and cohesion

I also created supporting email templates, banners, and internal graphics to reinforce adoption and guide users to key intranet resources.

Decisions Image_Compassion International

Impact

Improved clarity and usability of the intranet homepage

  • Increased internal usage following redesign

  • Email and visual assets contributed to a 3% increase in click-through rates

  • Provided stakeholders with a clearer framework for future intranet updates

Impact Image_Compassion International

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of treating internal tools with the same rigor as customer-facing products. Designing post-MVP required balancing existing constraints with research-backed improvements, while advocating for clarity, structure, and long-term usability across a diverse user base.

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© Emily Bai · Product Design Portfolio

© Emily Bai · Product Design Portfolio

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