Madonna House Apostolate
The Madonna House Apostolate is a Catholic community inspired by the life of the Holy Family, who humbly served in the hidden village of Nazareth, forming the first true community of love. Members follow the example of Mary, the perfect disciple, living under the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Project: Brand+Website
Madonna House, a Catholic apostolate community, reached out to me to update their main website, which had been built more than 15 years ago.
Completed Website: https://madonnahouse.org/
Problem
While the website was functional, the design was outdated and unintuitive. Their brand is not consistently represented on their website. Information was not current, the site did not reflect the true spirit of the community, and it lacked features that could create a seamless user experience—particularly in connecting potential guests with the registrars. Because the staff had little technical background, there was also a communication gap between the developers’ language and the community’s own understanding.
Learnings
Because the community serves a global audience, user testing with diverse groups was essential. Close collaboration with multiple departments ensured accurate, updated content while keeping stakeholders engaged throughout the process.
My Favourite Feature
The contact form—a simple but impactful addition. It created a seamless workflow between registrars and guests, significantly improving communication.
Results / Win
Since going live, the new website has generated over 100 guest requests within just a few months, providing a modern and welcoming online presence that truly reflects the heart of the Madonna House community.
Process
Requirements Gathering – Learned about the community’s history, mission, and current challenges. Spoke with staff to identify their vision, needs, and the essential content that needed to be migrated. This phase also included:
Content Collection – Collaborated with the client to gather updated materials for the new site.
Visual Board – Created inspiration boards to establish a consistent look and tone.
Building & Iteration – Developed the site in stages, continuously sharing progress with the client to ensure alignment and uncover additional content needs. This included:
Wireframing & Mock-ups – Designed early layouts and prototypes, sharing them with the client to collect feedback and refine direction before full development.
User Testing – Tested with diverse users (young and old, from multiple countries) to ensure accessibility and intuitive navigation.
Iteration & Refinement – Incorporated feedback into continuous improvements.
Go-Live – Launched the updated website in April 2023.
