Redesigning PenFed's
Global Navigation

Modernizing three outdated nav systems into one streamlined, intuitive, responsive experience that improves usability, accessibility, and brand consistency.

Objectives

Modernize onboarding experience
Enhance best practices & accessibility
Make mobile-first flow
Increase membership conversion rates
Increase cross-product offers
Create a scalable Design System to support future product applications across lines of business.

My Role and Responsibilities

Led the end-to-end UX/UI redesign process for multiple product lines
Managed and mentored senior UX designer.
Created detailed project roadmaps and timelines.
Set up Confluence pages to track requirements and progress.
Led weekly design syncs with Head of Product and stakeholders.
Design System Development: Defined reusable components, typography, color palettes, and interaction patterns for long-term use.

Project Overview

Role: Lead Product Designer
Scope: End-to-end redesign + Design System Integration
Tools: Figma, UserTesting.com, Design System Library
Timeline: 8-12 months (currently in dev)

Main Challenges

Disconnected desktop and mobile experiences
Poor info architecture and unclear copy
Redundant sublinks and slow paths to key pages
Limited scalability for future growth

Approach

Old Design

New Design

Old Design

New Design

Design System Integration

I built out a comprehensive component library documenting all mega-menu elements, breakpoints, and interaction states. This scalable system now supports consistent design and faster handoffs across future digital initiatives.

Mini Design System within a Design System

New Header, Footer, and Utility Nav
New font hierarchy and link styles
New icons, cards, and flags
New hover states and interactions
New Search Navigation

Project Reflection

This project deepened my understanding of design systems and cross-team collaboration. Balancing new components within an existing system taught me how to maintain consistency while driving evolution. It also sharpened my ability to debug and scale components efficiently within Figma’s atomic framework.

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