Cemre Yılmaz

Project: Düşünbil Portal

Website Redesign: from static site to dynamic platform

Role: UX Designer, Web Developer, Content Strategist
Duration: 2014 – Present
Tools: WordPress, Elementor, Google Analytics, SEO tools

Background Problem Goal Process What did not work Outcome Reflection

Background

Düşünbil Portal is the main digital platform of Düşünbil Magazine, a long-running Turkish publication on philosophy, psychology, and social sciences. The original website was static and difficult to maintain, limiting audience reach and engagement.

Problem

Düşünbil Publishing wanted to increase the brand visibility by creating a web portal targeting the online readers. The previous system was a static information hub and lacked content management flexibility. Frequent article updates were time-consuming, the layout was outdated, and the overall user experience discouraged returning visitors. There was also no strategy for SEO or social media integration, resulting in stagnant traffic despite a strong editorial base.

Goal

To create a dynamic, scalable, and reader-friendly portal where new articles could be published daily with minimal effort, and users could easily navigate between categories and discover content.

Process

  • Research: Reviewed similarly dynamic websites (Evrim Ağacı, İnsan Okur, vs.) and evaluated reader behavior and content update frequency to understand key bottlenecks.
  • Information Architecture: Designed a modular homepage to feature daily articles, interviews, and long-form essays.
  • Design & Implementation:
    • Migrated the site from Blogger to WordPress, selecting a lightweight theme to reduce page load issues caused by Elementor,
    • Added feedback buttons for each article to collect reader insights,
    • Established editorial workflow by creating WordPress user profiles for editors, enabling smoother content updates and approvals,
    • Optimized information architecture to make categories and articles easily navigable.
  • Optimization: Integrated analytics and social media sharing tools.

What did not work

  • Elementor’s initial heavy theme caused performance lags; optimization was needed to improve load times.
  • Early feedback mechanisms were minimal; integrating article-level feedback buttons significantly improved user insights.
  • Editorial workflow was initially manual and slow; WordPress user profiles and structured processes improved efficiency, but some training was required for editors.

Outcome

  • Enabled daily content updates with minimal effort, improving editorial productivity.
  • Increased user engagement through integrated feedback mechanisms.
  • Streamlined content management and improved navigation for readers.

Reflection

This project demonstrated the importance of balancing design aesthetics, usability, and content management. Implementing structured editorial workflows and lightweight design components enhanced both user experience and operational efficiency.

Iterative problem-solving under real-world constraints — limited team, high workload, and budget restrictions — strengthened my ability to adapt, prioritize, and implement sustainable solutions for digital platforms.