Designing a Theme Editor for News Websites
Industry
Design, Media
Client
Vox Media
Service
Product Design
Date
February 2020
The Chorus team at Vox Media developed a customizable theme editor, empowering editorial teams to design visually distinct, brand-aligned websites. Through user research, journey mapping, and prototyping, we delivered a tool that lets users efficiently manage layouts, styles, and branding. The final product empowers teams to balance creative freedom with consistency, supporting compelling visual storytelling.
Overview
The Chorus team at Vox Media developed a customizable theme editor to empower editorial teams to design visually distinct, brand-aligned websites. The project aimed to simplify workflows, enhance flexibility, and integrate design and functionality into a seamless interface, addressing the unique needs of content creators managing diverse digital publications.
The Challenge
Editorial teams struggled with rigid and fragmented workflows that limited their ability to create unique, cohesive designs. A lack of customization tools hindered their ability to align websites with evolving brand identities while maintaining consistent layouts and styles. The goal was to deliver a robust editor that offered creative freedom while ensuring design consistency across all publications.
The Process
The design process involved several steps:
User Research: In-depth interviews and feedback sessions helped identify pain points and user needs, focusing on the challenges of managing layouts, branding, and style guides.
Journey Mapping: Comprehensive mapping of editorial workflows revealed key bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
Wireframes and Prototypes: Low-fidelity wireframes explored various solutions, while high-fidelity prototypes allowed for iterative testing with users and stakeholders.
Final Implementation: The finalized design introduced a user-friendly interface with intuitive controls for managing themes, layouts, and brand assets.
The Solution
The theme editor provided editorial teams with tools to efficiently customize website designs while maintaining brand consistency. Key features included layout management, style editing, and a centralized repository for branding elements, enabling teams to streamline their workflows and focus on storytelling.
Impact
The new theme editor transformed how editorial teams at Vox Media approach design, offering a balance between creative freedom and consistency. By simplifying workflows and providing intuitive tools, the solution enabled teams to create visually compelling, brand-aligned digital experiences with ease.
