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Redesigning the foundation of Ashes of Creation's news pages

Ashes of Creation’s News section needed a modern UX approach for browsing and reading. I led a full redesign of the news listing experience and the article layout. I combined research from gaming, entertainment, and editorial sites with a more structured IA and a rebuilt set of CMS components.

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To see this design for yourself, click here.

Key Accomplishments ✨

  • Created a clearer, more scalable News IA with defined categories and dedicated category pages

  • Designed a modern search and filtering system that significantly improved content discoverability

  • Rebuilt the article layout for stronger readability, hierarchy, and engagement

  • Collaborated with engineering to modernize CMS components and streamline content production

  • Added new engagement features that boosted recirculation and social sharing

The challenge 🤔

The previous News experience made it hard to find information and even harder to stay engaged.

  • Search had no useful filters

  • The category organization was unclear

  • The article pages used outdated and inflexible CMS modules

  • There were a few ways to continue reading or share articles

  • Long-form content was difficult to read on mobile
     

The result was low discoverability and minimal content recirculation.

Key goals 🔑

  1. Improve content discovery through structured categorization.

  2. Build a more intuitive search and filtering system.

  3. Redesign the article layout for clarity and readability.

  4. Rebuild CMS components for flexibility and consistency.

  5. Increase engagement through share prompts and recent article surfacing.

The process & execution 🤺

1. Research & component strategy

I benchmarked gaming studios, media outlets, and entertainment platforms, including Riot, Bungie, Netflix, Polygon, and Bloomberg. I focused on category hierarchy, filtering patterns, and editorial presentation.

2. New information architecture 

I redesigned the category structure and introduced dedicated category pages, collaborating closely with the community team to align on a future-facing tagging framework. I partnered with backend engineers to ensure the system could scale easily as new categories and metadata needs emerge.

Previous landing page

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Updated page & categories

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3. Improved search and filters

Users can now filter by category, year, post type, and keyword. Filters can be combined, and results update without losing context. This greatly reduces the time spent searching.

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4. New article layout

I redesigned the entire article experience with a stronger hierarchy, improved spacing, enhanced hero sections, and more readable typography. I added subtle navigation aids and clear share triggers.

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4. Rebuilt CMS components

I partnered with engineering to modernize all article building blocks. We redesigned paragraph styles, image blocks, galleries, embeds, quotes, and dividers. The result is a modular, scalable content system that is easier for the team to maintain.

5. Engagement enhancements

I introduced inline share prompts, a mobile-friendly share bar, curated recent articles, and contextual recommendations. These features help keep users reading and interacting.

The final designs

Impact & results

  • Faster and more predictable content discovery

  • Longer reading sessions due to improved layout

  • Lower bounce rate on article pages

  • More efficient content creation with flexible CMS modules

  • Stronger mobile experience

Key takeaways

The redesigned News page establishes a scalable and flexible framework that enhances content quality without introducing unnecessary complexity. By refining layout rules, improving visual hierarchy, and clarifying interaction patterns, the new system creates a more consistent editorial experience across diverse content types while reducing ambiguity for both designers and developers.

Next steps

  • Monitor Google Analytics to track engagement changes (CTR, scroll depth, time on page) after launch.

  • Collect feedback from the marketing and content teams to identify any adjustments to layout or asset needs.

  • Expand the component documentation to support future editorial layouts and special event articles.

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