● Case Study

Designing the Award-Winning Currie Website

Overview

Client

Currie by Canada Lands Company

Visit

currielife.ca

Role

UX/UI Designer @ Flipp Advertising

Services

UX/UI Design
Product Design
Prototyping

Tools

Figma
Adobe After Effects

Year

2023, 2024

Award

2023 BILD Calgary Region Best Website Award

Challenges

Currie, a community developed by Canada Lands Company (CLC), blends contemporary inner-city living with vibrant amenities in a historical setting. As a federal Crown corporation specializing in real estate development, CLC required a website that showcased the community’s unique character while adhering to strict regulations. The project needed to balance creativity, accessibility, and bilingual functionality while meeting high standards for design and usability.

Key challenges included:

Collaborating with our in-house creative team on visuals and with developers for seamless implementation.
Ensuring compliance with federal regulations, including WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards.
Designing for bilingual content in both English and French, addressing differences in text length and layout.
Optimizing the design for responsiveness across all devices.
Designing a Builder’s Portal as a follow-up project after the website launch.

Processes

1. Collaborating Across Teams

As the product designer, I worked closely with our in-house creative team to ensure the design aligned with their creative vision while remaining executable. I also collaborated directly with developers to bridge the gap between design and implementation.

2. Bringing Designs to Life

I created high-fidelity prototypes and animations to translate creative concepts into functional designs, ensuring alignment between visual storytelling and user experience. These prototypes served as a clear reference for developers during implementation.

3. Bilingual Design Solutions

Special attention was given to French content, which typically requires more space than English copy. I designed layouts that accommodated these differences while maintaining visual balance and usability across both languages.

4. Accessibility and Responsiveness

Accessibility and responsiveness were embedded throughout the design process. I ensured all components met WCAG 2.2 AA standards, creating an inclusive experience for users across devices.

5. Detailed Handoff for Development

To ensure smooth implementation, I provided developers with comprehensive handoff files, including detailed specifications for typography, animations, and layout behavior.

6. Builder’s Portal UX/UI Design

Following the website launch, I contributed to the design of a Builder’s Portal add-on. By conducting UX research and designing an intuitive interface, this portal enabled builders to easily access documents and branding materials related to the Currie community.

Results

The Currie website successfully launched as a dynamic platform showcasing this vibrant new community. It earned the 2023 BILD Calgary Region Best Website Award, recognizing its excellence in design and functionality. The Builder’s Portal add-on further enhanced usability by providing builders with streamlined access to essential resources. Together, these projects reflect a commitment to creating accessible, responsive, and visually compelling digital experiences that meet diverse user needs.