Some details
NaNoWriMo began as a grassroots community of writers aiming to write a novel in the month of November, it’s now a full-fledged nonprofit organization that supports a variety of programs, including an online goal tracking platform and community. NaNo came to us looking for an update to their beloved, but outdated, platform and website.
The first page in the story was written with a week-long stakeholder interview and
brainstorm session in Berkeley. Simpatico worked with their team to define what they currently were and what they wanted it to be. We drew inspiration from our favorite books, their history, and even fitness apps—a new twist on their goal-oriented brand. Through careful hybridization of modern design cues with the pleasantly-dusty calm of a familiar library, we reached visual harmony they were looking for. It looks how an old book on a new desk smells. The new NaNo demanded more from its site. Users would be planning events year round, and writing more on mobile devices and spending more time interacting with one another on the site. All of this functionality was scoped, built and optimized by Simpatico with a careful eye toward maintaining the core experience. UX, site architecture and copy were optimized for intuitive navigation, and new functions were added where needed. The successful partnership spun off an additional page: a marketing site. The refreshed look and feel extended seamlessly to this digital front door, completing their digital renovation.Both the marketing site and new product design are currently in development.