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Supporting Distinct User Needs with Improved UX

Overview

Originally, Democracy Fund’s website included a single “For Partners” page intended to serve both peer funder partners and potential grantee partners. In practice, this structure made it difficult to provide clear, relevant information for either audience — particularly peer funders, who were a primary target audience for the organization.

These two audiences had distinct goals and information needs, and the site’s existing navigation patterns already provided a model for structuring this content more effectively. To address this, I led the restructuring of this section into a small, audience-driven content ecosystem.

A website navigation menu showing three columns. The first two columns consist of a landing page with sub-pages listed below it, but the third column titled "For Partners" consists of multiple pages with no clear connection.
The title of the first two columns is the landing page, with the links listed below it sub-pages. This is not the case for "For Partners."

The Approach

I redesigned the partner content to mirror existing navigation patterns used elsewhere on the site (for example, Focus Areas → individual focus area pages), improving consistency and usability across the platform.

The new structure included:

  • A high-level “For Partners” landing page that provides orientation and context
  • A dedicated “For Funder Partners” page tailored to peer funders
  • A dedicated “For Grantee Partners” page tailored to potential grantees


This approach allowed the main navigation to reflect clear pathways for each audience while supporting deeper, more relevant content on the individual pages.

A website navigation menu showing three columns. The third column titled "For Partners" now lists relevant links below: "For Grantee Partners" and "For Funder Partners."

Collaboration and Execution

I worked with the partnerships team and communications team to determine the most valuable information for each audience. Based on this input, I led the design of page layouts and content hierarchy, iterated on drafts based on feedback, and implemented the final versions within our modular CMS framework.

All work was completed using existing design components, requiring careful selection and sequencing of modules to support clarity, accessibility, and usability without introducing ad-hoc design elements.

Original Page Sections

A web page showing a header that says "Resources for Grantees" with a paragraph of information and a few text links to other pages.
Information for grantee partners was limited to a single paragraph on the original "For Partners" page.
A web page with a header that says "Tools for Funders" and three unrelated blog posts below it showing a report, an op-ed, and another report.
Originally the resources for peer funders were grouped altogether, with no clarification on category or type of resource.

New Page Sections

A web page with a header that says "Our Process" followed by a short paragraph, with a list of criteria and explanations about how grant recipients are chosen at Democracy Fund.
The new For Grantee Partners page allowed for a thorough overview of the grantmaking strategy, criteria, and process at Democracy Fund.
A web page with teh header "Resources for Peer Funders" with a short paragraph below, and a two-column content block underneath. The left header says "Our Approach" with a short paragraph and a link, the right header says "Our Research" followed by a short paragraph and a link.
Resources on the new For Funder Partners page were reorganized to provide greater context, and information was broken out into different sections for greater clarity.

Strategic Enhancements

In addition to the initial restructuring, I proposed and implemented a “Learn More About Democracy Fund” section at the bottom of both partner pages.

This addition was designed to:

  • Mirror similar sections on other audience-specific pages across the site
  • Provide additional orientation for users new to the organization
  • Encourage continued exploration of Democracy Fund’s work, strategy, and learning approach


Ultimately, this change helped connect partner-specific content to the broader site experience and supported a more cohesive user journey.

A section on a web page with the header "Learn more about Democracy Fund" with a three column layout below featuring images and brief summaries of different aspects of the organization, and links to the respective pages.
This section was added to encourage users to better understand the organization and to continue engaging with the website's content.

Project Highlights

Audience clarity

The original single page attempted to address multiple audiences at once. Separating the content allowed each page to focus on the questions, priorities, and context most relevant to its intended audience.

Navigation consistency

The updated structure aligned partner content with existing site navigation patterns, making the experience more intuitive and predictable for users.

Usability within constraints

All changes were implemented within an established modular design system, emphasizing thoughtful content hierarchy, layout decisions, and accessibility best practices.

Outcome

The restructured partner content provided clearer pathways for both funder and grantee audiences, supported deeper engagement with relevant information, and improved consistency across the site’s navigation and page structure.
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