SITE REDESIGN | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
You used their textbooks in school. Now they need to deliver to a new-age digital audience.
WHAT IS IT: HMH provides textbooks, education platforms, and resources to millions of students across America, as well as a trade arm publishing brands including Curious George and Carmen Sandiego. They needed a website redesign that meets their depth of modern capabilities and services.
PROJECT TERMS: Full-time team client project while working as a UX Strategist at Siegel+Gale.
MY ROLE:
UX Strategist;
Information Architect;
Wireframe Producer;
User Research + User Testing
The Challenge: Design a more consistent and compelling digital experience—one that could balance the different markets of textbook and reading book publishing, and signal their transition from traditional book publisher to modern learning company.
The Insight: The new digital experience had to deliver engaging content while making clear connections between classroom tools and products. This would make it easier for customers to find educational solutions and support, while gaining trust in HMH’s purpose and expertise.
User Research and Content Analysis: Educators don’t have time to learn a new system, need access to their materials quickly and intuitively.
TOOLS USED
User interviews with corporate stakeholders, educators, and regional textbook purchasers
Contextual inquiry via screen share testing, heat mapping with current site users
Competitive analysis
User journey mapping and iterative design
Information Architecture and Content Strategy: Site structure streamlined to create easy access to what different audiences need
From Wireframe to Design: Translate key content beats in the narrative to a page framework
User Testing and Iterative Design: User testing and contextual inquiries with actual teachers and HMH customers who need to use the website in their day-to-day jobs. Live video screen-share of first impressions of the redesigned website, including questions and task prompts. Iterative design based on user feedback.
Final Deliverable: Two fully responsive website experiences at www.hmhco.com/ and www.hmhbooks.com/
