Full case study ~5 min read
Enterprise Website Navigation Redesign I B2C I Advocacy & eCommerce
52% Faster task completion through smarter navigation
Redesigned the global navigation to reduce friction and clearly surface the full breadth of CR’s offerings—helping users find what they need faster and move through key tasks with ease.
AI-assisted UX writing & usability testing
Year
2025
Freelance
40 hrs a week, 2 months
Team
1 Head of Product & Design
1 UX Director
1 Associate Product Director
1 Senior Product Designer (ME!)
Methodologies
User Centered Design
User Flows
UX & UI Design
Prototyping
Usability Testing & Tree Testing
Taxonomy
Tools & Frameworks
Figma
& FigJam
Jira & Confluence
Anthropic Claude
ChatGTP
Problem
Users struggle to find and understand the full range of CR’s content and benefits because the site’s navigation isn’t intuitive or easy to scan, leading to frustration, missed content, and difficulty navigating efficiently, which lowers engagement and comprehension of CR’s value.
Solution
Redesign the global navigation experience to improve content discoverability, support multiple user mental models, and reinforce Consumer Reports’ breadth of offerings and mission.
Responsibilities
UX & UI Design: Led a comprehensive redesign of the global navigation, optimized across pre- and post-login states to simplify the experience and reduce cognitive load.
Usability Testing: Designed and executed an unmoderated usability study with 75 participants across three variants, measuring task efficiency, cognitive effort, perceived value, and ease of navigation through both product-specific and abstract tasks.
Stakeholder Alignment: Drove stakeholder alignment around the recommended variant by synthesizing research findings into clear, actionable implementation guidance, demonstrating strong alignment with business goals and diverse user mental models.
Execution
Analyzed comparative navigation patterns from Target, Walmart, The Food Network, and others to identify best practices and applicable insights.
Designed 3 navigation variants and ran an end-to-end unmoderated usability studies with 75 participants, evaluating findability, cognitive load, task efficiency, and perceived value across product-driven and exploratory journeys.
Synthesized results into a stakeholder readout with actionable recommendations, leading to selection and refinement of Variant #2.
Recommended polyhierarchy for cross-category content and provided guidance on masthead structure, search prominence, and friction reduction.
Led cross-functional alignment on Variant #2 (Search & Browse), addressing implementation and taxonomy concerns.
Secured buy-in for a hybrid “Search & Browse” approach by grounding decisions in research and conversion impact.
Partnered with Product and Taxonomy to define a phased rollout, prioritizing quick wins and longer-term initiatives.
Usability Test Snippet
…At Consumer Reports, her research presentations were so effective that the organization began using her work as a template…
Most importantly, Bridget is a wonderful collaborative partner. She works well with other designers, product managers, engineers, and stakeholders, communicates design decisions clearly, and brings a bright, constructive presence to cross-functional teams. She taught me how to effectively use AI in my own product design work, something I am grateful for daily.
Erik Maxwell — Senior Product Designer, Optimal Workshop
Squad teammate at Consumer Reports
Outcomes
User satisfaction increased by 10.5%
Users completed tasks 52% faster
Ease of use improved by 5.2%
