What is GIS? Website
Making complex technology accessible to new audiences
The Goal
Create an easy-to-understand explanation of GIS (Geographic Information System)
As the leader in GIS software, Esri needed to reimagine What is GIS?, a brand-level marketing website, to help executive audiences understand the potential of GIS in their organization, increasing awareness and understanding of geospatial tech.
The work behind the work
This wasn’t just a website. It was a chance to reframe how a 50-year-old tech company tells the story of its core technology.
In addition to leading the design, I facilitated cross-functional workshops, delivered executive pitches, and kept the team aligned and energized through a complex, months-long effort.
Here’s how I led the team:
-
Facilitated cross-functional workshops and brainstorms to clarify the abstract problem space.
Created pitch decks and storyboards to gather executive buy-in early, setting a clear direction before production began.
Challenged legacy beliefs about how GIS “should” be explained by proposing a simpler approach, even though it went against internal norms
-
Led the concepting phase with early moodboards, wireframes, and storyboards that determined the visual direction and tone.
Defined the visual strategy and stories for all animations and illustrations, partnering with internal motion designers and UK-based studio 422 South.
Oversaw design consistency across every touchpoint–web, animation, and post-launch advertising.
Set a new tone for brand storytelling within Esri’s digital ecosystem.
-
Gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) redirected the team away from reused solutions and back toward user-centered thinking.
Used research as a guidepost to keep pushing toward better, clearer outcomes, especially as the going got tough.
Leaned on my teaching experience and applied knowledge about how people learn new ideas to inform content and design decisions.
Before and After
User insights drove the design strategy
Before designing, we evaluated common pain points by gathering feedback from both GIS professionals and non-GIS users. Both user groups struggled with jargon, content density and complexity.
Scroll-activated storytelling puts learning in the hands of the user
To introduce GIS concepts intuitively, I proposed a progressive disclosure model, structuring the introduction as an interactive story that builds understanding in stages. This approach helps define GIS at a high level and creates a clear, accessible learning path for users of all expertise levels.
The Impact
-
Higher engagement
In the first 90 days, bounce rate decreased by 23%. The amount of time spent per page increased by 45%.
-
Increased traffic 97%
Site visits increased by 97% in 90 days, adding hundreds of thousands of visitors.
-
#1 Search Result
SEO-optimized to maintain the #1 search result for ‘What is GIS?‘.
Art Direction
Simplifying the visual message
I removed all visual detail that wasn’t critical to the main idea. All maps and backgrounds are muted, monochromatic, and dark, making GIS data vibrant—the visual hero.
Website
The Process
Defining the Problem
Research confirmed it. Explaining GIS isn’t easy.
A UX analysis of the old What is GIS? site revealed that the order and detail of information left users confused. The information wasn’t clearly communicated, verbally or visually.
“If I had no awareness of what GIS was, this (definition) gives me a high level understanding . Would I understand it right out of the gate from reading that? Probably not. Until I actually did something with the product that light bulb moment would never happen for me.”
“First thing I saw was this little picture up here which to me doesn’t describe anything. Looks pretty but it doesn’t give me any more information.”
Visual Strategy
Using universal symbols to communicate to a broad audience
We distilled the definition of GIS into a three-part explanation. To make sure the visuals were as effective as possible, I created the framework below that defines the visual language based on using symbols that had the most clear and universal meaning.
Progression of Fidelity
Storyboards
Short and simple vignettes showing GIS use cases
Along with the initial animation defining GIS, we also created 5 animations to showcase its use cases. I storyboarded the animations and 422 South brought these animations to life using real GIS data.
