PEN America

PEN began their relationship with us as a Support client, needing custom landing pages, reports, and general maintenance. They initially engaged us to enhance their existing code base. However, over time it became clear their original build no longer met their needs, as admins struggled to patch recurring issues. This was a problem, as their work centers on accessible, inclusive content — yet their site wasn’t delivering.

Three other websites were connected to PEN  — Artists at Risk, Online Harassment Field Manual, and WorldVoices Festival — but weren’t properly integrated, making content sharing and management across URLs difficult. 

Our primary goals for the project were:

• Build a centralized database with a shared, flexible component library and a seamless subdomain creation process that is sustainable, scalable, and easy for PEN to use.
• Create a captivating user experience that has a consistent content hierarchy, enhanced visual appeal, and brand cohesion.
• Craft a design library that retains each site’s unique identity, guides users in their journey, and invokes trust with the brand providing a consistent and seamless experience.
• Optimize the mobile experience and enhance engagement by ensuring an accessible and user-friendly interface that captivates mobile users.
• Simplify the navigation and build a robust information architecture that establishes clear pathways allowing people to explore resources effortlessly. 
• Improve search and filtering of content by embedding ARC, OFHM, and WV content within the main PEN site.
• Create an interactive storytelling experience that offers animated elements, interactive features and embraces inclusive design.

Deep discovery work — including personas, competitor analysis, content audits, and content strategy — helped us address three core challenges aligned with the project’s goals:

• Consolidating sites on WordPress: We recommended a multi-site structure on WordPress for PEN, allowing easier management, reduced hosting costs, and streamlined content sharing across sites, boosting visibility across the PEN organization.
• Enhancing content management for administrators: The outdated and cluttered WordPress backend made content updates cumbersome. We upgraded the technology and introduced a block-based editing experience with Gutenberg, streamlining the process.
• Improving content connectivity: Poor user experience resulted from static content, minimal tagging, and ineffective site search, with no dynamic modules. We addressed this by auditing and updating taxonomy structures and simplifying navigation.