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Case Study:
Pasadena Audubon Website Redesign

Making birds and birding more accessible for all

Pasadena Audubon is a local nonprofit focused on connecting people with birds, nature, and community through education, conservation, and events. Their website had become outdated, difficult to navigate, and hard to maintain, which limited engagement from new visitors, longtime members, and volunteers alike.

For this project, I helped lead a full redesign of the site, creating a more welcoming, accessible, and user-friendly digital experience that reflects the heart of the organization: inclusive, informative, and inspired by nature.

My Role
  • Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, UI/UX Design
Client
  • Pasadena Audubon Society
Challenge
  • Transform an outdated site into an engaging mobile-optimized experience with a thoughtfully organized, intuitive content structure.

A Modern Lens on Bird Conservation

As a passionate wildlife advocate, I volunteered to help Pasadena Audubon redesign their website to modernize the digital experience and better serve a diverse audience of birders, educators, and conservation advocates. The project involved replatforming and restructuring the site into a mobile-first, accessible layout that improved navigation, visual storytelling, and content discoverability. I conducted user research and stakeholder interviews, to inform the new information architecture and visual design system. I worked closely with board members, and content teams to ensure the site met both strategic and user needs. I developed wireframes and prototypes which were grounded in inclusivity and ease of use, especially for mobile users and older audiences. 

 

My Role

  • Led UX and visual design for the site redesign

  • Conducted content audit, stakeholder interviews, and IA mapping

  • Created wireframes, design system, and final UI

  • Collaborated with developers and board members throughout process

  • Focused on accessibility, CMS flexibility, and community-first design

 

The Challenge

The original website functioned more like a content archive than an engaging tool for the community.
Common pain points included:

  • Outdated navigation and poor mobile experience

  • Cluttered content with unclear user paths

  • Events and volunteer opportunities hard to find

  • Difficult site management for non-technical staff

The site needed to support birders of all experience levels, from curious first-timers to longtime members, whilst staying true to the organization’s educational and conservation goals.

 

Process

Discovery & Content Audit
I began by reviewing every page of the existing site and interviewing board members and program leads to understand what was working and what wasn’t. Key needs were quickly identified:

  • Clearer pathways to events, volunteering, and membership

  • A mobile-first design for users in the field

  • Easier content editing for staff and volunteers

  • A visual design that better reflected the organization’s tone, which was friendly, thoughtful, and nature-driven

Information Architecture & Wireframes
I restructured the site’s architecture around user intent, reducing the number of top-level pages and creating new groupings for:

  • Explore Birds (resources, sightings, conservation)

  • Attend Events (calendar, field trips, family programs)

  • Get Involved (volunteering, donating, joining)

Low-fidelity wireframes helped us quickly validate layout structure and content hierarchy with stakeholders before moving into design.

Visual Design
The refreshed UI drew from natural elements, using soft whites, warm grays, and local bird photography to create a calming and welcoming feel. I designed flexible modules that the team could manage via their CMS, including:

  • Event cards and calendars

  • Call-to-action blocks

  • Testimonial and spotlight modules

  • Responsive navigation and footers

Accessibility was prioritized through clear high-contrast typography, iconography, alt text, and keyboard-friendly navigation.

Key Improvements

  • Events Calendar: Easy to browse and filter upcoming events, field trips, and classes

  • Simplified Navigation: Clear labels and fewer clicks to get where users need

  • Get Involved section: Central hub for donations, volunteering, and membership

  • Mobile Optimization: Fully responsive and easy to use on the go

  • CMS-Friendly: Modular design components staff can update without developer assistance

Results

  • A site that’s easy to use, to update, and grow

  • Improved visibility of field trips and educational programs

  • More intuitive access to membership and donations

  • A visual identity that better represents the organization’s values and mission

  • Positive feedback from the Pasadena Audubon board