Lipton for Lebanon

Second Freelance Opportunity

In September of 2021, I was approached by a friend who connected me with a local city council candidate in need of a campaign website. This was one of my first freelance web design projects, and it marked a turning point in how I understood client relationships, ownership, and the real world impact of UX decisions.

Going into the project, I knew this would be both a design challenge and a communication challenge. I was not only responsible for delivering a functional website, but also for guiding a non designer client through decisions that would directly affect her campaign.

Understanding the Campaign Context

From our first meeting, my client was open, responsive, and deeply knowledgeable about her campaign goals. She walked me through her plans for running for city council, the priorities she wanted to communicate to voters, and the political landscape of her town.

Since I was not from the area, this context was critical. I asked a lot of questions to understand the audience, the tone that would resonate locally, and what information voters would be looking for when visiting her site. This early discovery phase helped ground every design decision in real user needs rather than assumptions.

Selecting the Right Platform for the User

One of the earliest and most important decisions was choosing how the site would be built. The client was clear that she wanted direct access to update content herself, especially blog posts and announcements, without needing ongoing developer support.

Rather than defaulting to a single solution, I researched several popular website builders and created a clear list of pros and cons for each. During our meeting, I walked her through these options and explained how each would impact usability, flexibility, and long term maintenance.

We ultimately chose Wix because it aligned best with her goals, offered ease of use, and gave her confidence that she could manage the site independently after launch. This decision set a strong foundation for trust and collaboration.

Features and Information Architecture

With the platform selected, we shifted focus to defining what the website needed to include. I proposed features based on research into successful political campaign websites, such as clear issue statements, a blog for updates, donation and contact pathways, and a strong introductory message.

Together, we mapped out how content should be organized so visitors could quickly understand who she was, what she stood for, and how to get involved. We closed the first meeting by aligning on a timeline and agreeing on regular check ins to ensure transparency throughout the process.

Shaping the Layout and User Flow

Because the timeline was tight, I worked on the project outside of my regular day to day schedule to keep momentum moving. My initial focus was purely on structure and navigation. At this stage, visual polish was intentionally deprioritized in favor of clarity and flow.

Once the client was comfortable navigating the site and felt the layout matched her expectations, we moved into visual refinement. This sequencing helped ensure we were solving the right problems before investing time in aesthetics.

Visual Tone and Content Strategy

For the visual direction, we chose a color palette that reflected the colors of the United States, which felt appropriate and familiar for a political campaign. Typography was kept clean, simple, and professional, aligning with the client’s request for credibility and approachability.

Much of the site content came from her existing Facebook presence, which provided a strong foundation of authentic messaging, imagery, and blog material. About a week into the project, the client confirmed she was happy with the direction and felt the site accurately represented her campaign.

Optimizing for Accessibility and Reach

As the site came together, my attention shifted to mobile usability and search visibility. Ensuring the website worked well across devices was critical, as many users would be accessing it from their phones. I also configured SEO settings so the site could be easily found by voters searching for local campaign information.

This phase required careful attention to detail, but it was essential to making the site accessible and effective for a broad audience.

Launch and Client Handoff

We held a final meeting to review the completed site, address any remaining questions, and set up the official domain. From start to finish, the website was completed in just two weeks.

The client was extremely happy with the final result and felt confident managing the site on her own moving forward. Seeing the project live and actively supporting a real campaign was incredibly rewarding and reinforced my interest in freelance UX work.

Key Learnings

Strong UX begins with understanding the real world context, especially when designing for civic and political use cases.
Platform selection is a UX decision, not just a technical one, and should prioritize the client’s long term autonomy.
Clear communication and transparency build trust, especially when working with first time clients.
Focusing on structure and navigation before visual design leads to more confident and efficient iterations.
Reusing existing content strategically can save time while preserving authenticity.
A successful client designer relationship is just as important as the final product itself.