From Project Site to Research Hub
Information Architecture
Web Design
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I redesigned the information architecture of the Censored Planet website, shifting it from a site centred on a single project to a platform representing the lab’s broader research ecosystem.
Censored Planet investigates internet censorship using large-scale measurement infrastructure. The website had grown around the Observatory measurement platform, even as new initiatives such as VPNAnalyzer and the Internet Splintering Project were introduced.
Role
Lead UX designer
Duration
120 Hours
THE PROBLEM
A site built around one project instead of the lab behind it
The original site was built around the Censored Planet Observatory, the lab’s flagship censorship measurement platform. Over time the lab launched additional initiatives, including VPNAnalyzer and the Internet Splintering Project, each with its own site.
Despite this growth, the structure of the main site continued to center the Observatory. As a result, the lab’s broader research ecosystem was difficult to understand without prior familiarity with its internal projects.
The core challenge was structural: the website needed to represent an organization and its research programs, not a single measurement tool.
ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS
Understanding the existing ecosystem
To understand the scope of the problem, I conducted a content and structure audit across the entire Censored Planet ecosystem. This included the main site as well as project sites for the Observatory, VPNAnalyzer, and the Internet Splintering Project.
Content was mapped according to its purpose: explaining research, publishing findings, demonstrating tools, or inviting collaboration. This revealed that the existing structure reflected the lab’s internal history rather than how external audiences approach the work.
Visitors arriving to learn about censorship research were forced to navigate technical projects first, making the lab’s mission and broader work harder to understand.
The audit revealed that the site structure reflected the lab’s internal project history rather than how external audiences understand the research.
RESEARCH
Strategic insight
Observatory dominated the structure
The site had originally been built around the Observatory platform. As the lab expanded, this structure continued to shape how content was organised, even as new initiatives were introduced.
The lab’s work was not easy to understand
The site included valuable research, tools, and project pages, but it did not quickly explain what the lab actually did or how its different initiatives connected.
The lab needed a central hub
As the organisation expanded, the website needed to shift from presenting a single platform to representing the lab itself as the central entity connecting its research, projects, and tools.
INFORMATION ARCHITCTRE
Reframing the site around the organisation
The redesigned structure introduces Censored Planet itself as the primary entry point. Rather than organizing the site around individual tools or project sites, I prioritized a lab-centered structure so visitors could understand the organization first and then navigate into its research, platforms, and initiatives.
This structure allows different audiences to navigate the site according to their needs. Researchers can explore publications and reports, while journalists or funders can quickly understand the lab’s mission and impact.
The result is a clearer model of how the lab’s initiatives relate to one another.
OUTCOME
A unified research platform
The redesigned website presents Censored Planet as a cohesive research lab rather than a standalone project.
The new platform:
consolidates content from multiple project sites
clarifies the relationship between projects, research, and tools
improves navigation for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and funders
introduces a scalable interface system for future growth
By restructuring the information architecture, the site now communicates the full scope of Censored Planet’s work far more clearly.
