Introduction
At Community & Utility, we’ve been exploring ways to highlight community features across our brands and platforms. The idea behind Community Signpost is simple: help users notice these elements more easily and encourage them to engage, whether they’re regular contributors or just browsing.
My Role
As the product designer on this project, I co-led the end-to-end design process - from early ideation to final specs and developer handoff. I collaborated closely with other designers to shape the overall concept, and together we ran multiple workshops focused on design thinking, placement strategies across app and web, and UX writing.
I spent 1 week creating detailed design specs, followed by the handoff to developers. Post-handoff, I dedicated 2 weeks to design QA, working closely with the development team to ensure everything shipped matched the intended experience.
Signposting
Current design challenge
The absence of a comment count on the icon led to user frustration when redirected to empty threads. Hyperlinks on WIRED required clearer distinction, while Epi’s text needed simplification to avoid redundancy. Additionally, WIRED and AD Pro featured action bars without displaying review metrics, limiting context for users.
Problem Statement
#1
Community links on recipe/article pages are easy to overlook due to poor visibility and redundant placement.
#2
Community links placed at the top of pages fail to drive users to explore, as many never scroll to that section.
#3
The community forum is often missed on the homepage, resulting in low user engagement.
Design Workshop
Goal: To create strong starting points for design exploration, using existing examples, past projects, or new feature ideas. The aim is to find opportunities and see where we can make the most impact. We divided the workshop content into three segments to understand both the designer’s and the user’s perspectives.
Competitive Research
Preview Reviews and Ratings in a New Window, on the Same Page (Scroll Down) and Mid-Page Signposting
Many featured a prominently highlighted review section at the top of the page, paired with metrics to encourage users to explore the article further.
For seamless navigation, brands employed varied approaches such as review modals, direct scroll-to-review functionality, or opening reviews in a dedicated window.
