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The Architect of the Heart: How I Helped a Clumsy Website Find Love
By jane Li, Spiria Gazette
In my line of work, I mend broken spirits and untangle confused lives. But the most unexpected case I ever took on was not a person, but a website.
His name was Healthing, and he was sent to me in the chaotic summer of 2021. The world was drowning in misinformation, and Canadians were desperate for a reliable guide. Healthing, a member of the esteemed Postmedia family, wanted to be that guide. But he was lost, buried under his own good intentions.
His mission was noble: to be “a premier destination to inform, educate, and connect Canadians.” In reality, he was a digital relic—clumsy, dressed in outdated code, and nearly impossible to navigate. He confessed his three biggest flaws to me: he had no coherent structure, his navigation was a labyrinth, and he was utterly unprepared for the modern world. He was incapable of winning the heart of his one true love: "The User."
My team at Spiria had just three months to perform this makeover. The launch date was immovable. We had to be tactical, focused, and brilliant.
We started with deep, collaborative sessions. I needed to understand his core purpose.
We weren't just applying a coat of paint; we were building a new, scalable foundation. With the clock ticking, I set realistic expectations. A full, deep audit was a luxury we didn’t have. We would focus on the essentials: a new skeletal structure (the sitemap and navigation) and his most important pages (the home page and key templates).
My first major task was to design him a new, consistent wardrobe—a component library.
But there was a snag. The final brand style guide from his parent company was still being woven.
I couldn't wait. So, I built the mannequin, designing the wireframes and templates, ready to dress them the moment the final fabrics arrived. It was a lesson in proactive patience.
The Trials of Transformation
Our journey was a series of sprints, and in our first one, we stumbled. I had designed elements out of order, asking the developers to build features without the underlying structure.
It caused confusion. I had to call a timeout, sit with the product owner and developers, and re-prioritize our work.
It was a humbling but vital lesson in communication and teamwork. After that, our workflow smoothed considerably.
I also learned the art of the parallel build. I was designing the future while the developers were constructing the present. This required meticulous handoffs, detailed notes, and constant check-ins to ensure the vision in my head was materializing correctly on the screen. I became a translator between the dream and the reality.
The Grand Reveal
After three intense months, the transformation was complete.
The new Healthing was scalable, built on a flexible component library that promised easy growth. He had seamlessly integrated the vast Ebix database, making a wealth of information easy to find without sacrificing his new, clean look. And against all odds, he launched on schedule.
He was confident, his navigation a clear and welcoming handshake. His home page was an organized, inviting space. His sponsored content, once an awkward afterthought, was now elegantly incorporated into "ad slots," allowing him to be financially stable without being pushy.
He had found his User. Traffic and engagement soared. He was finally fulfilling his destiny, loved and trusted by the Canadians he was built to serve.
My Own Growth
As his advisor, I grew, too. I learned that early stakeholder alignment is the only way to prevent scope creep and confusion. I saw how constant communication, especially with developers under a tight deadline, is the glue that holds a project together.
For the future, I will advocate harder. I’ll push for a top-down sitemap before a single pixel is designed, and for a proper UX audit to diagnose the root causes of problems, not just the symptoms.
Helping Healthing was more than a project; it was a lesson in architecture—not just of websites, but of connection. The secret is always the same: build a solid foundation, create a clear path to the heart, and have the courage to present your best, most organized self to the world. And that is the foundation of any great relationship.