My Role
- Lead Information Architect
- Content Strategist
- UX Research
- Prototyping
Year
- 2024-2025
Tools
- Excel
- Notion
- Softr
- Lucidchart
- Adobe CC
Overview
The Catalyst Practitioner Experience (CPE) was designed to transition facilitator resources from a fragmented collection of legacy sites into a centralized, subscription-based workspace. While beginning with content discovery, I partnered with the design team to address emerging navigation challenges by conducting a forensic audit and developing a functional no-code prototype. This collaborative effort validated a scalable, user-centric taxonomy and realigned the platform’s information architecture to better support the long-term product strategy.
The Challenge: A Fractured Ecosystem
The Goal
Create a centralized repository where facilitators can access guides, scripts, slide decks, and research—moving the Catalyst platform from a learner-first tool to a practitioner-grade workspace.
The Problem
The existing ecosystem was chaotic. Critical materials were dispersed across three different internal websites with no unified taxonomy. There was no “single source of truth,” making it impossible to migrate content effectively without a comprehensive strategy.
The starting point. Facilitator resources were scattered across three disconnected legacy sites, creating a fragmented user journey and inconsistent file structures.
Phase 1
Discovery & Audit: The Foundation
Before any design could happen, we needed to understand the scope. I led the discovery phase by conducting an audit of the legacy sites.
THE METHOD
Because of the system’s history—specifically the file fragmentation caused by the COVID-19 cloud migration—I anticipated a standard repository audit would fail. Rather than spending time re-confirming known bottlenecks, I treated the live site as the single source of truth and utilized browser based tools to scrape the sites and bulk download documents. This neutralized risks from the disorganized back-end and saved time. What could have easily ballooned into weeks of meetings and emails, I completed in less than an hour.
I then reviewed each asset (videos, pdfs, docx) so I could make an informed recommendation during the Keep, Toss, Upgrade sessions I facilitated with the rest of the content team.
THE COMPLICATION
As the project moved into the Beta phase, the implemented design revealed significant friction points. In addition to IA drift, the interface relied on a “filtering chips” pattern that triggered critical usability failures, including hidden navigation and cognitive overload. The lack of faceted filtering created a massive relevance problem—where a single legacy download had exploded into dozens of individual file rows, drowning the user in noise.
Visualizing the “Relevance Gap.” On the left, the legacy model (one zip file). On the right, the Beta model (36 individual rows). Without faceted filtering, the user is overwhelmed by granular files—such as 24 individual video transcripts—making it nearly impossible to find the primary facilitation guide.
Phase 2
The Intervention
Recognizing that the platform was at risk of launching a library that was harder to use than the legacy sites, I looked into the root causes of the friction.
1. Content Function Analysis
I revisited the library with a fresh mindset, asking a simple question for every document: “What is this object’s job?”
By moving beyond surface-level labels, I developed a comprehensive Metadata Schema with 30 taxonomic elements, spanning content types, formats, and product associations. This ensured every file had a specific place, eliminating the need for a junk drawer.
2. The “Do No Harm” Heuristics
I established a set of practical design principles to evaluate the interface against:
- Flexibility: The system must handle various file types without breaking.
- Familiarity: Do not reinvent patterns; use standard e-commerce filtering logic.
- Scalability: The structure must support future content growth.
3. Rapid Prototyping (Functional Proof of Concept)
To secure fast alignment during a critical Beta phase, I bypassed static wireframes to build a functional no-code prototype using Notion and Softr. This allowed me to demonstrate live faceted filtering and stress-test a 30-element metadata schema against technical constraints. By delivering a working proof-of-concept, I was able to provide the technical validation needed to overcome stakeholder resistance and successfully ship the realigned information architecture.
Phase 3
The Outcome
I presented the prototype and findings to a cross-functional group of IT, Product, and UX stakeholders. By showing a working model rather than a critique, I shifted the conversation from “Why we can’t” to “How we will.”
Key Results
- Neutralized Technical Resistance: Successfully used the prototype to validate the faceted search and card-based layout, securing immediate buy-in for the new architecture.
- Eliminated Navigation Failure: Prevented the launch of the “hidden navigation” interface by proving a more intuitive, scalable mental model.
- Deployed a Scalable Taxonomy: Successfully launched a 30-element categorization logic that resolved the “relevance problem” while working within existing backend limitations.
Reflection
This project was a lesson in pragmatism. While backend limitations prevented us from shipping every desired feature, we successfully navigated technical constraints to deliver the “optimal viable” solution. By bridging the gap between Content Strategy and UX Engineering, I ensured the Practitioner Resources launched with a foundation capable of supporting the practitioner community.