As part of the digital design team, I worked on redesigning the Expertise section of the Henderson Engineers website. The firm was shifting from a practice-based approach to a sector-based strategy—grouping services into broader vertical markets to better speak to clients. The existing page was outdated, hard to navigate, and didn’t reflect the firm’s new direction. I created a refreshed visual style, reworked the structure for better flow, and built wireframes and a working prototype to bring the new experience to life.
Role:
UX + UI Designer
Industry:
AEC
Duration:
40 weeks
Challenges
Strategic Shift: Clearly communicate the firm’s transition from a practice-based model to a sector-based strategy.
Brand Alignment: Ensure the redesign aligns with Henderson Engineers’ evolving brand goals and messaging.
User-Centric Design: Enhance usability and accessibility for both internal teams (engineers) and external audiences (current and potential clients).
Scalability: Design a flexible framework that can grow with the firm’s evolving content needs and easily accommodate future sector additions or structural changes.
My Approach
Discovery Phase
Brand Familiarity: Having been with Henderson Engineers, I brought a strong understanding of the firm’s brand, users, and digital presence into the redesign process.
Competitor & Visual Research: Researched competitor websites and gathered inspiration to inform a refreshed visual direction that balanced aesthetics, usability, and brand consistency.
Design & Development
Wireframing & Information Architecture: Sketched initial wireframes for the new Expertise section, including updated navigation, a redesigned main page, and new templates for sectors and practices.
UX + UI Design: Focused on creating an engaging, interactive, and accessible design that tells the firm’s story through clean visuals and intuitive navigation.
Prototyping: Designed and built a working prototype, including all core screens—navigation, the Expertise landing page, and detailed sector and practice templates.
Content Strategy: Organized sector pages to highlight relevant leaders, projects, news, and thought leadership—allowing users to explore all related content without leaving the page.
Testing & Iteration
User Testing: Conducted walkthroughs with marketing leadership, engineers, and client relationship directors to gather direct feedback on design and usability.
UI Refinement: Iterated on the interface based on real user feedback to ensure clarity, consistency, and a user-centric experience across all components.
Collaboration with Development: Worked closely with the development team to ensure the final product remained true to the vision and functioned seamlessly across platforms.
Results
The redesigned Expertise section launched successfully, aligning with Henderson Engineers’ strategic shift and elevating the overall user experience. Internal teams praised the improved organization and accessibility of content, while external users found the updated interface more intuitive and engaging. The streamlined navigation and sector-focused structure helped position the firm as a forward-thinking industry leader.
Future Plans
Continuous Improvement: Plan regular updates based on user feedback, firm objectives, and evolving industry trends to enhance website functionality and user satisfaction.
Content Expansion: Continue building out sector and practice pages with rich, dynamic content—such as project case studies, client testimonials, and multimedia storytelling—to further engage users and showcase expertise.
Advanced Search & Filtering: Enhance site usability by introducing smarter search capabilities and filters across sector content, projects, and thought leadership.
Conclusion
This project spanned nearly a year from concept to launch, allowing us the time and space to deeply understand the firm’s restructuring, strategic goals, and evolving vision. We collaborated closely with executive leadership to ensure our external-facing designs aligned with the firm’s new direction. Throughout the process, we conducted user testing with engineers, client relationship directors, and marketing managers to ensure the experience was both effective and intuitive for all audiences.
