User Experience, Web Design
Written By: Kate Collins
Client: Columbus Bar Association (CBA)
Scope: Audience Research & Analysis, Brand Strategy, Visual Identity, Messaging, Website Architecture, UX/UI Design, WordPress Development, Hosting & Systems Consultation
The Columbus Bar Association’s website was outdated and fragmented, making it difficult for attorneys, students, and the public to find and engage with essential resources.
Partnering with Postali, the CBA undertook a full-scale digital transformation spanning research, branding, UX, and development with simplified navigation, clearer user flows, and a scalable system.
The result is a streamlined, intuitive platform that improves engagement, provides critical resources, and better reflects the CBA’s role at the heart of Columbus’s legal community.
The Challenge
The Columbus Bar Association approached Postali with a core concern: its digital ecosystem no longer reflected the organization’s identity, values, or purpose.
Members expressed frustration with the site’s lack of clarity. Staff struggled to maintain content. Students felt underserved, and the public had limited pathways to understand the value of the legal community CBA supports. In addition, the site’s technical architecture, built on a legacy environment, made routine management slow and limited opportunities for integrating modern tools or expanding functionality.
This was not simply a design problem or a content problem; it was a systemic experience problem. CBA needed a fully reimagined identity that brought clarity, usability, and trust to every touchpoint.
Discovery & Research
Postali launched the project with an extensive discovery phase designed to surface user behaviors, organizational objectives, and community expectations.
The research included:
- 183 survey responses with a 73% completion rate across 27 questions; an unusually high engagement level for a professional association.
- Seven in-depth virtual interviews with attorneys of varying seniority, firm sizes, practice areas, and community roles.
- Collaborative workshops with CBA staff and leadership, ensuring organizational alignment.
- Behavioral analysis of navigation logs and click-path data to understand friction points and identify common failure patterns during tasks like CLE registration or directory searches.
The research uncovered a simple truth: members weren’t disengaged; they were lost in the experience. Key actions were buried under layers of unclear navigation and inconsistent terminology.
A central insight from the research was that CBA’s community valued connection and mentorship but did not see that promise reflected in its digital presence. The redesign required a user-first approach grounded in clarity, accessibility, and purpose.
“It’s validation that many of our assumptions were right, but it’s so cool to see it in that summative way.”
— Kate Collins, Managing Director, Postali
Building the Brand
Tone of Voice
A warm, confident, conversational voice replaced the outdated, institutional tone of the previous site. The new tone emphasizes peer-level guidance rather than top-down authority, helping users feel anchored and supported.
Visual Identity
Postali modernized every element of CBA’s visual language:
- A deep navy base conveying trust and stability.
- Teal and gold accents add vibrancy and modernity.
- Updated typography using Gesta and Inter, selected for their clean forms and digital readability.
- Revised sub-brand marks for ColumbusLawyers.org and CLE Easy Pass, unifying the organization’s broader identity.
Core Values
To establish their brand on a deeper level, Postali revisited and honed the CBA’s core values. The goal was to truly reflect their role as The Wise Mentor in the community: a knowledgeable guide whose experience is matched by generosity, empathy, and approachability.
These values, combined with the character of the association, influenced every design, messaging, and UX decision.
Audience Personas
To ensure that strategy and design decisions reflected reality, Postali developed five Personas that captured the needs, motivations, frustrations, and emotional drivers of CBA’s diverse audiences.
The personas allow us to humanize the data. By revealing cross-generational pain points, particularly fear of change and failure, the personas became the blueprint for the brand strategy, site structure, and messaging that followed.
The updated brand balanced CBA’s historic roots with contemporary expectations, creating a recognizable, cohesive system for digital and print use.
Reimagining the Website Architecture
From Complex to Clear
The previous CBA website accumulated hundreds of pages without a cohesive strategy, resulting in duplication, dead ends, and deeply nested content.
Postali’s industry-leading developers built the final system by organizing all content into five intuitive, streamlined categories:
- Services – Resources available to members and the public.
- Learning & Community – CLEs, committees, and networking.
- News & Advertising – Publications, media, and outreach.
- For Members – Exclusive tools and benefits.
- Our Bar Association – About, leadership, and contact information.
UX Improvements
Postali rebuilt essential user flows with attention to clarity, accessibility, and minimal friction:
- A more intuitive login and membership renewal process
- Simplified CLE registration
- Streamlined journeys for events, directories, and job postings
- Reduced redundancy across similar content areas
- A flattened sitemap for quicker access to core resources
By integrating ClearVantage through polished iframes, Postali preserved the AMS system while simultaneously improving the user experience.
Website Design & Development
Postali translated research and strategy into a custom, modular WordPress build. L
- Design – Eleven modular layouts reflecting the new brand system.
- Development – Optimized for performance, accessibility, and security.
- Content – Fully reimagined homepage narrative and about page content with consistent brand tone.
- Documentation & Training – Delivered CMS handoff materials to ensure CBA’s internal team could manage updates independently.
Hosting & Systems Consultation
CBA’s legacy system had become a limiting factor. Postali guided the CBA through evaluating modern alternatives and understanding the long-term benefits of decoupling its systems.
WordPress + WP Engine offered:
- Greater control over content
- Simplified security and updates
- Faster load times
- Better scalability
- Clearer separation between CMS and AMS functionality
To ensure smooth integration, Postali coordinated closely with Euclid (ClearVantage), aligning on data flow, embedded functionality, and long-term maintainability.
This strategic technology shift positioned CBA for sustainable digital growth in the years ahead.
Results
The transformation produced measurable improvements across brand perception, user interaction, and operational efficiency.
A Unified Digital Experience
Brand, architecture, and design now work together to present a consistent, modern identity rooted in clarity and purpose.
Improved Engagement
Users are now able to find resources without confusion. Traffic patterns show increased engagement with directories, CLE offerings, membership tools, and community programs.
Operational Empowerment
CBA staff gained the ability to update content, manage pages, and maintain the site independently: something that was not feasible with the legacy system.
Scalable Infrastructure
With modern hosting and a flexible CMS, CBA is prepared for evolving needs, new initiatives, and future integrations.
Community Impact
Feedback from members and leadership reinforced the success of the transformation.
“Postali helped us think differently about who we serve and how we communicate our value. They guided us through a process that gave us clarity, confidence, and a website that truly represents who we are.”
— Jill Snitcher, Executive Director, Columbus Bar Association
You can view the completed site at https://www.cbalaw.org/
Key Takeaways
CBA’s evolution shows how research-backed branding, modern UX, and strategic technology decisions can rejuvenate a long-established institution. This project illustrates what becomes possible when those challenges are addressed holistically.
The new site also demonstrates how modern design, thoughtful architecture, and structured messaging work together to create meaningful engagement. Members now experience a streamlined, purposeful journey that mirrors how they naturally seek information.
The redesign highlights the importance of technical strategy in sustaining long-term growth. These improvements extend far beyond aesthetics: they ensure that the association’s digital presence remains adaptable, reliable, and aligned with its mission for the foreseeable future.
If your association’s digital presence no longer reflects its value, or if fragmented systems are slowing your ability to serve your community, Postali can help you rebuild with clarity, purpose, and long-term vision.