Lead UX/UI Designer
Led the end-to-end redesign of the Martha Stewart Living homepage, driving UX strategy, stakeholder alignment, and iterative design to modernize the experience while upholding the integrity of a legacy brand.
Overview
As the lead product/UX designer, I drove the end-to-end redesign of the Martha Stewart Living homepage—an initiative with high brand visibility and significant stakeholder oversight due to the legacy and prominence of the Martha Stewart brand.
My Role
Led UX direction, visual design, and iterative prototyping
Facilitated alignment between editorial, product, and executive stakeholders
Ensured brand integrity while modernizing the site’s usability and visual language
Challenge
The existing homepage no longer reflected Martha Stewart Living’s brand evolution or editorial strategy. The challenge was to create a more modern, content-forward experience while honoring the expectations of a highly engaged editorial team and a design-driven brand.
Process
1. Discovery & Collaborative Workshops
With limited quantitative data available, I relied heavily on qualitative insight from cross-functional stakeholders. I facilitated multiple brainstorming and working sessions with editors, who were deeply involved in shaping the narrative and content priorities. These sessions became critical for identifying must-have content modules and brand elements that could not be compromised.
2. Stakeholder Alignment
With limited quantitative data available, I relied heavily on qualitative insight from cross-functional stakeholders. I facilitated multiple brainstorming and working sessions with editors, who were deeply involved in shaping the narrative and content priorities. These sessions became critical for identifying must-have content modules and brand elements that could not be compromised.
3. Iterative Design & Refinement
I produced multiple rounds of homepage concepts focused on:
Improved content hierarchy
Elevated brand presence
Modular layout flexibility
A cleaner, more modern visual system aligning with Martha Stewart’s aesthetic
Each iteration was reviewed with editorial and leadership, incorporating feedback while maintaining UX cohesion. The iterative loop helped stakeholders feel ownership while I ensured the experience remained user-centered and scalable.
4. Final Design Presentation
The final presentation was received extremely positively—especially by the VP of Design, who noted that the redesign successfully balanced editorial needs with UX best practices, which can be particularly challenging at MSL given stakeholder expectations and brand scrutiny.
Outcome
Delivered a homepage redesign that strengthened brand presence and improved content discoverability
Achieved alignment across editorial, product, and executive stakeholders
Earned high praise from leadership for meeting the bar of a legacy, design-driven brand
Reflections
Although I did not document the process as thoroughly as I would today, this project reinforced the importance of:
Strong stakeholder facilitation, especially in content-driven organizations
Documenting design rationale early to connect decisions back to user and business needs
Balancing brand legacy with UX modernization, particularly for high-profile properties
