Breaking the design mold for YMCA of Greater Hartford

The YMCA of Greater Hartford’s new website broke away from the mould used by multiple other YMCA’s across North America, by introducing a modern and original mobile-first design that reflected the unique identity of the organization. The team worked to push boundaries but still retained the YMCA brand standards and guidelines within the theme construct.
In terms of design, there was a strong approach visually with bold photography to help the user better identify and have a better feel of the YMCA and the community. The brand utilises sleek, dark colours which are not often seen within the YMCA sites, they are often lighter using pinks, purples and greens.
The design was targeted to a “Future Y” user persona, which includes young parents within the community, who are looking for a site that feels modern and responsive, much like many of the high tech sites they’d be used to using day-to-day, yet still has that familiar YMCA experience.
The site redesign has allowed for clear and concise user funnels and journeys which enables users to prioritize key actions including donations, registrations, and memberships. The previous site was overall less visually appealing and the new site includes more real estate to showcase the organization through impactful visuals including high-quality videos and photos.
The new design also allows the team at YMCA of Greater Hartford to have greater control over their storytelling journey, with a build they are able to edit and update easily - the user experience improved for the content editors as well as the end users.