Highrock

Year: 2022
My Role: UX/UI and Website Designer
Team: Modern Climate

Research

Brand Architecture

Site Architecture

UX/UI Design

Website Design

CMS Integration

Accessibility

The Situation

Highrock Church, a multi-congregation spiritual community based in the Boston area, faced significant digital fragmentation. Each of its congregations—Cambridge, Lexington, MetroWest, Arlington, and Online—maintained separate web presences. This created confusion among users, diluted the Highrock brand, and posed a challenge in presenting a cohesive message of connection, community, and faith.

The digital experience lacked intuitive navigation, mobile responsiveness, and modern storytelling elements aligned with their mission

The Task

I was tasked with delivering a unified, contemporary digital experience for Highrock that would:

Consolidate five disparate websites into a single, coherent platform

Develop a scalable, mobile-first design system that supports personalized content across congregations

Improve content structure, technical SEO, and user flow to maximize engagement and usability

Implement a component-based design system that reflects Highrock’s spiritual brand and empowers internal teams to manage content with ease

The Action

Discovery + Strategy:
Consolidated site architecture and navigation via a newly developed sitemap

Strategic content audit of all legacy websites (using Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, etc.) to preserve SEO equity

Clarified Highrock’s brand structure, ensuring individual congregations could shine while living under one digital roof.

Design + Development:
Crafted 24+ reusable, modular UI components, creating a flexible design system for 34 core pages

Developed a custom WordPress CMS that enables centralized control while allowing each congregation to tailor content updates

Applied mobile-first UX best practices, accessibility standards, and branded visual elements rooted in warmth and approachability

Conducted QA, user acceptance testing (UAT), CMS training, and a phased launch approach for a seamless rollout

The site is structured around easy navigation, with transparent sections for congregations, events, and resources. Using a modern, responsive design to ensure accessibility across devices, allowing users to quickly access important information about worship times, services, and community events. Visual consistency, simplicity, and accessibility are key design priorities.

Curiosity. Courage. Compassion.

The navigation is intuitive, emphasizing accessibility to core services and events. The strategy effectively incorporates the church's mission, balancing aesthetic appeal and function. The visual direction uses high-quality images, clear typography, and a structured layout that makes the experience warm, organized, and approachable.