RSF - Journalism Trust Initiative Platform Redesign and Integration
The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), led by Reporters Without Borders, worked with Relief Applications to merge its separate platforms into a single WordPress site. The new multilingual platform streamlines certification, learning and communication while improving usability, SEO and efficiency.
- Client
- Reporters Without Borders
- When
- Since Aug 2024
- Team
- 5 people
- Services
- App development
- Technologies
- WordPress, Figma, Custom UI components
- Industry
- Media & Journalism
- SDGs
- 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions, 17. Partnerships for the goals
- Client website
- rsf.org
The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), an RSF-led standard for trustworthy journalism, needed a comprehensive platform revamp. Its web presence was fragmented across multiple sites and applications, causing disjointed user experiences and high maintenance overhead. Relief Applications was engaged to redesign and integrate JTI’s main website, certification app, and e-learning portal into a single, user-friendly WordPress platform. This consolidation aimed to support JTI’s mission of promoting transparency and trust in media. JTI’s key goals were to unify three platforms into one seamless hub, streamline the certification workflow, improve site usability/accessibility, and simplify content management by moving to WordPress for maintainability. They also prioritized better search visibility through SEO optimization.
Our approach Relief Applications adopted a user-centric, agile strategy. We began with in-depth stakeholder workshops and user interviews to gather requirements, define user personas, and map pain points. Using Figma, our UX/UI team crafted wireframes and interactive prototypes reflecting JTI’s branding and credibility. Feedback loops were constant: JTI and RSF stakeholders reviewed designs in iterative cycles to ensure alignment. Technically, we implemented a WordPress-based solution (with custom themes and plugins) to integrate all JTI features under one roof. A Kanban-style Agile methodology guided development, allowing our team to adapt to evolving needs, prioritize certification features, and ensure timely delivery through continuous testing.
Relief Applications delivered a modern unified platform that consolidated the JTI main site, self-assessment app, and JTI Campus into one coherent WordPress-driven website. The new platform provides a cohesive UX/UI with intuitive navigation and a polished interface that reinforces trust. Key features include integrated Media Outlet and Certifier Dashboards for the JTI certification process, a public directory displaying certified media outlets, and a multilingual content structure. We optimized the site for SEO (leveraging tools like Yoast SEO) to increase JTI’s online visibility. Additionally, our team provided a comprehensive design system, documentation, and training materials to empower the JTI/RSF team to manage content and sustain the platform long-term. The project culminated in a successful launch on a secure EU-based server, meeting all objectives and positioning JTI for greater impact online.
Spotlight Serie: Shaping a Transparent World: JTI’s Role in Building Trust in Media
The challenge
- Fragmented Platforms: The existing JTI ecosystem spanned separate websites and applications, leading to siloed content and inconsistent user journeys.
- Certification Complexity: The JTI self-assessment and certification workflow is data-intensive and multifaceted. Integrating this process (with questionnaires, transparency reports, and audit trails) into a new CMS required careful planning to preserve functionality and data integrity.
- Content Migration & Integration: Moving off a headless CMS (Prismic) to WordPress involved migrating large volumes of content, user accounts, and media files.
- Stakeholder Alignment & Scope: Multiple stakeholders meant varied feedback and evolving requirements.
- Design for Trust: Crafting a UI that conveys journalistic credibility and neutrality while being engaging and accessible to diverse users demanded a thoughtful design approach.
What we did
- Unified WordPress Architecture: We implemented a single WordPress platform to host all JTI components. This created a one-stop user experience: visitors can learn about JTI, complete the self-assessment, and access learning resources in one place.
- Custom Workflow Integration: Our developers built custom plugins and UI components to embed the JTI certification workflow into WordPress. This included dynamic questionnaires and forms, role-based dashboards for media outlets and certifiers to track progress, and an automated display of certification status and Transparency Reports on the public site.
- Data Migration & Consolidation: We executed a careful migration plan: exporting content and user data from legacy systems and importing into WordPress. The platform was deployed on a single EU-based server to improve performance and simplify maintenance. This consolidation improved reliability and compliance with data regulations.
- Agile Project Management: Using Kanban Agile methodology, we held weekly stand-ups and frequent demos with stakeholders to manage expectations and incorporate feedback. This iterative process allowed us to adjust to scope changes without derailing the timeline.
- UX/UI Enhancements & SEO: The design team produced a consistent style guide and interactive prototypes in Figma, emphasizing clarity and trust. We also configured SEO best practices, including semantic HTML, metadata optimization, and SEO plugin, ensuring the new site ranks well and reaches its target audience.
