About the Client
The Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC), founded by civil rights attorney Craig Gurian, has been focused on advancing strong, effective anti-discrimination enforcement since 2003. As part of that work, ADC publishes Remapping Debate, a public policy news site known for its deeply researched, long-form reporting.
We partnered with ADC to redesign and develop the Remapping Debate website, with the goal of making the content more accessible, easier to navigate, and more usable across devices... without losing what makes the publication unique.
The Challenge
Remapping Debate isn’t a typical content site. Articles are long, layered, and often include annotations, supporting materials, and multiple sections that don’t always follow a simple linear structure.
The existing site made it difficult to engage with that complexity... especially on mobile. There was no real responsive system, and navigating longer pieces could feel cumbersome.
The challenge was to modernize the experience while keeping the focus where it belongs: on the writing.
Our Approach
We started by stepping back and simplifying. The goal was to create a design system that felt editorial and restrained, something that would support the content rather than compete with it.
That led to:
- A typography-first visual approach
- A flexible set of layouts designed for long-form content
- A responsive system that works consistently across devices
- Navigation patterns that help readers move through complex articles more easily
We worked closely with Craig throughout, refining details as we went to make sure the experience aligned with how he thinks about the content and its structure.
Making Long-Form Easier to Read
A big part of the project was rethinking how readers move through dense, multi-part articles.
We introduced a few key patterns:
- Breaking articles into clearly defined sections
- A persistent “jump-to” menu for navigating between them
- Annotation tools that can be turned on or off depending on the article
- A clearer visual hierarchy to guide the reader
None of this changes the content itself, it just makes it easier to stay oriented and engaged.
A Better Mobile Experience
On mobile, the original layouts didn’t hold up well, especially with the mix of full-width and partial-width content blocks.
Instead of forcing everything into a single rigid format, we made the system more adaptable:
- Supporting panels can collapse behind a simple “Dig deeper” interaction
- Longer secondary content doesn’t interrupt the main reading flow
- Layouts adjust in a way that still feels intentional, not just stacked
The result is a smoother reading experience, especially for longer pieces.
The Result
The new Remapping Debate site feels lighter, clearer, and much easier to use.
Readers can move through complex articles without getting lost, whether they’re on desktop or mobile. At the same time, the depth and character of the publication remain intact.
It’s a good example of how small, thoughtful UX decisions can make a big difference... especially when the content is doing the heavy lifting.
