CNN International Commercial
CNN
The CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) website redesign aimed to transform the digital presence of CNN’s business division, which manages commercial activities outside the United States. The project focused on creating an engaging, dynamic, and user-friendly platform that accurately represents CNNIC’s capabilities while fostering better engagement with partners and clients.
The challenge
The existing CNNIC website was outdated and struggled to convey their full range of services. Key issues included an 80% drop-off rate after one page, confusing navigation and terminology, and text-heavy, unfocused content. The brief was to create a modern, engaging site that effectively showcases CNNIC’s offerings and enhances user experience.
My Role:
Lead UI/UX designer
Product:
Website
Produced at:
Aer Studios
Target Audience:
Global business partners, prospective clients, and internal stakeholders across various CNNIC functions.
Discovery Phase
We began with a discovery phase, diving into user research and stakeholder interviews to align business goals with user needs. I co-facilitated interviews with senior CNNIC stakeholders from Ad Sales, Content Partnerships, Digital Commercial Strategy, and more, travelling to CNN’s offices in London and Paris for in-depth discussions.
I developed user personas based on these insights that considered motivations, goals, and pain points, helping us to shape a user-centred experience for the new website.
This informed a new site structure, navigation and low-fidelity wireframes that aligned site content with visitor goals.
Design Phase
I kicked off the design phase by creating a mood board to guide the website’s aesthetic exploring, colours, typography, interactions and motion that aligned with CNN’s brand identity. Collaborating with CNN’s in-house UX team, i develop a design system, component library, and high-fidelity screen designs for the website, with a focus on creating a slick, immersive and rich media experience befitting of the brand.
Micro-interactions
I explored micro-interactions and seamless transitions and created interactive prototypes that illustrated key page features, such as dynamic carousels and scrolling effects.
The results
The redesigned CNNIC website is more engaging and user-focused. The improved navigation and tailored content have reduced drop-off rates and increased time on site. The new design strengthens CNNIC’s brand presence, by better showcasing its offerings to attract both current and potential clients.
