Jake Bell

Overview

Forbes Connect serves as the primary hub where clients can explore partnership opportunities, view event calendars and registration, and access important brand information.

This product had essentially not been updated since 2017 and required a full redesign to better accommodate its high daily traffic. My team managed the entire site overhaul, collaborating with developers and marketing stakeholders to modernize the design, optimize navigation, and improve user-centric functionality.

This full redesign is slated to go live in August 2025.

Timeline

January 2024 – Ongoing

Role

Design Lead, Art Director

Team

Jake Bell, Matt Herrmann, Dzenana Karajic

Business Goals

Dated → Modern

Modernizing a dated website isn’t just about the aesthetics, it’s also a strategic move. A fresh, modern look builds trust, enhances user experience, and signals to your audience that you’re current and credible. The Forbes Connect site hadn’t been updated since 2017(!) and was in clear need of a visual refresh.

Messy → Optimized

Many pages were overwhelmed with content, leading to endless scrolling and a frustrating user experience. With the redesign, we focused on optimizing each component to be more intuitive and also condensed the site navigation from 51 pages down to 22, making the site simpler and easier to navigate.

Inconsistent → Cohesive

Without a clear design system in place and many stakeholders making updates daily, the site gradually became a mess of broken components and off-brand visuals. A huge goal of this redesign was to rein in all the chaos and create a more unified on-brand experience that feels more intentional.

Design Process

01 Research & Ideation

During this phase we identified many pain points across the site, such as inconsistent page templates and a confusing site nav. From there, we curated an inspiration board with hundreds of modules from competitors and industry leaders, helping us identify best practices and opportunities to guide the redesign on both desktop and mobile.

02 Simplified Navigation

To create a more streamlined experience, we simplified the site’s navigation—reducing 51 pages down to 22. By removing duplicates and reorganizing content, we made it way easier for users to find what they need with less confusion.

03 Content-First

Through close collaboration with marketing stakeholders, we aligned on site content and features page by page. With a content-first mindset, these conversations helped us ensure that all messaging on-site was clear, intentional, and ready to guide the design of each individual page template.

04 Component Library

Before jumping into any design, we conducted a thorough audit of the current site to determine what components required a refresh. We then developed a comprehensive library of site modules to ensure reusable, responsive, and easily customizable elements in WordPress for stakeholders to pick and choose from.

05 Final Designs

With components and content all finalized, we then moved on to page assembly in Figma. Each screen was annotated with detailed specs and interaction guidelines to ensure a smooth, efficient hand-off to the development team.

06 Implementation

We collaborated closely with the development team to QA each page of the site pre-launch—reviewing staging links, flagging bugs, and ensuring visual accuracy and functionality. While many pages are still pending release, they’re on track to go live by August 2025.

WordPress Component Library