Ark Media Website
Project Type
Designed a new website for Ark Media from the ground up
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Contribution
Wireframing/Prototyping
Front-end Development
Tools
Figma
Wordpress
Ark Media is undergoing a major transformation from operating quietly behind the scenes as the administrative home of the Call Me Back podcast, to positioning itself as a full-fledged media company. Call Me Back, hosted by Dan Senor, has become one of the most influential news podcasts, with over 2 million monthly downloads and a rapidly growing global audience. Building on that success, Ark Media is expanding its offerings to become the public square of Jewish discourse — producing a wide range of podcasts and other media content.
However, Ark Media’s existing website had not kept pace with this transformation. Originally designed for a single show, it was collapsing under the weight of 350+ pages and lacked the structure needed to support a modern media company.
I led a complete rebuild of the Ark Media website to support its new mission. Starting from the ground up, I reimagined the site as a dynamic, content-forward platform that clearly communicates Ark Media’s expanded identity and allows users to easily discover its media offerings. The new design is structured, scalable, and aligned with the organization’s vision of becoming a premier podcast network.
Key Objectives
Consolidate Content: Create a central hub to access all three podcasts.
Increase Engagement: Encourage newsletter sign-ups.
Maintain Branding: Ensure a consistent look and feel aligned with Ark Media’s new brand.
Optimize User Experience: Ensure easy navigation and fast load times.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
The existing site served as a basic point of web-access to the Call Me Back podcast, and did not serve as a media company that aims to be a public square. From a technical perspective, it was collapsing under its own weight.
Requirements
Centralized Platform: Highlight each of the 3 podcasts that Ark Media produces.
Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile.
Fast Loading: Optimize images and scripts.
Embedded Podcast Players: Allow users to listen to the podcasts directly on the website.
Newsletter Integration: Use Mailchimp API for sign-ups.
Basic SEO: Use relevant keywords, metadata, and structured URLs.
DESIGNING THE SOLUTION
The design process began with mapping out the ideal user flow for the new site. Since we were building a completely new experience (and the existing site had become unwieldy due to an overload of disjointed pages), establishing a clear, intuitive flow was a top priority.
User Flow
Based on the user flow, I designed several options for wireframes to address the different requirements.
Wireframes
The wireframes were brought to life as interactive prototypes in Figma, then developed into a fully functional website using WordPress. I collaborated closely with the developer to hand off designs, ensure accurate implementation, and support the build-out of each page.
