CityGov
Making Civic Connection Click
Redesigning CityGov’s marketing experience and key product flows to clarify its value and connect students with the people behind local government.
Overview
Connecting People Through Civic Knowledge
CityGov is a professional network and learning platform connecting university students with city employees and public-sector professionals. Employees can share articles about their work, connect with colleagues, and contribute to a growing repository of civic knowledge. Students can access courses and learn directly from people working in government.
I worked with the CityGov team on a focused UX/UI engagement to improve the product's value proposition and conversion. The project included a marketing landing page and key screens for both student and city employee experiences.
The project had a particularly fast turnaround, with the landing page due one week after kickoff and the remaining screens due two weeks later.
Challenge
Making the Product Easier to Understand
CityGov had an ambitious product, but prospective users weren't immediately understanding what it was or why they should join. The client came to us looking for a more compelling landing page and improvements to key product screens while maintaining their existing visual identity.
The platform also needed to serve two very different audiences. Students were looking for affordable, real-world educational content, while city employees needed a place to share expertise, connect with colleagues, and build a professional digital footprint.
With roughly 80% of users accessing the responsive web app on mobile, the designs also needed to prioritize smaller screens.
Approach
Building on What Already Existed
Rather than reinventing CityGov's established visual system, I focused on getting more out of what they already had.
I incorporated the swooping pen mark element from their existing logo into the landing page hero, turning a recognizable brand element into a larger visual motif. The client particularly liked this direction.
From there, I focused on making the purpose of the platform clearer while designing experiences around the distinct needs of students and city employees.
Work
Bringing the Experience Together
Marketing Landing Page
The landing page was designed to communicate CityGov's value quickly and give both audiences a clear reason to participate. For students, the messaging centered around affordable access to real-world government expertise. For city employees, it positioned CityGov as a place to share knowledge, build a professional presence, and connect with others in public service. Visually, the existing logo treatment became a key element of the hero, helping the page feel more distinctive without departing from the established brand.
City Employee News Feed
The employee experience centered around a social news feed for articles, photos, comments, and discussion. Employees could share their work and expertise while connecting with people across different roles—from elected officials to the people doing day-to-day municipal work. The concept also included discussion-focused "break rooms" for more informal conversations.
Student Course & Materials
The student experience organized assigned articles and other materials into a structured course view. Content could come directly from city employees and government officials, giving students access to firsthand perspectives rather than relying solely on traditional textbooks. Courses were also designed with the understanding that their content could eventually become outdated and need to evolve over time.
Key Lessons
Finding the Throughline
CityGov reinforced the importance of designing around the relationship between audiences. Students and city employees had different goals, but those goals were complementary—students could learn from professionals, while professionals could share their knowledge and build their presence.
It also reminded me that clarity comes before polish. The biggest opportunity wasn't simply making CityGov look better, but making its purpose easier to understand.
Finally, working within an established brand system doesn't mean there isn't room for creativity. Small details, like the location-pin element from the existing logo, can become meaningful parts of the broader experience.
Outcome
A Direction for Growth
The project gave CityGov a clearer marketing direction and demonstrated how its student and employee experiences could work together as one ecosystem.
The client was enthusiastic about both the product and the design direction, and particularly enjoyed working together throughout the engagement. With a larger budget, the project could have expanded into a broader redesign of the platform.
For me, CityGov was a strong example of finding meaningful design opportunities within an existing brand and product rather than starting from scratch.
