What is GIS?

Redesigning the web's #1 resource for understanding GIS

The Client

Esri

My Role

Art Direction UX/UI Design Content Strategy Storyboarding

Project Team

Amanda McKinley Andrea Massey Carl Bender Daniel Gill 422South

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"I believe the outcome is the best web site we have ever produced. With this, we’re helping people to truly start to understand what GIS is all about. Plus, we are providing an exceptional first impression of Esri to anyone who visits the pages."
"For years, we've desperately looked for a way to introduce people to GIS, and he could never find quite the right thing. Now, with this site, there's an engaging way of helping people understand the power of GIS."
About this project

The Goal

Redesign WhatIsGIS.com to help newcomers actually understand what GIS is

Esri owns the top search result for "What is GIS?" and pulls 300,000 visitors a year. Most arrive as complete beginners looking for simple answers. My job was keeping that SEO dominance while serving those visitors with clarity instead of confusion.

The Problem

Even experts struggle to explain what GIS actually is

There's a running joke in the GIS community that explaining GIS is impossible. When newcomers arrived seeking answers, they hit walls of jargon rooted in Esri's 50-year legacy in science and engineering. User research showed that leading with flashy examples before explaining the basics made people more lost, not less.

The Solution

Give big ideas room to breathe

Drawing from my teaching background, I saw the real issue. People wanted information, just at a pace they could process. Complex ideas needed space to land before the next one arrived. I structured the experience around how humans actually learn. Simplified visuals carried complex stories without cognitive overload. Short animations broke down core concepts quickly, but with a cadence designed for learning. Respecting how brains absorb new information became the foundation for getting organizational buy-in to build something compelling and memorable.

The Impact

The framework now influences how Esri explains GIS everywhere.

The redesign won a Digiday Content Marketing Award and Gold Addy. In the first 90 days:

97%

increase in visitors

130%

increase in page views

23%

decrease in bounce rate

About this project