Cory, at the recent Evangelical Press Association Convention, a first place in the Website Design Category was awarded to LeadershipJournal.net. You recently went through a massive redesign with LJ. When did that launch?

We actually launched the new LeadershipJournal.net in December 2011 and have made a few smaller, yet strategic, updates over the last year as we hear from our subscribers and gauge what is most useful to them. For example, now we update our site daily instead of weekly, and include exclusive web content—some for subscribers only. We also have a strong mobile presence, which we will continue improving on as technology and our audience demand. Iterative improvement is key—continuing to optimize our web presence instead of one big launch and then letting it sit.

How does the LJ web design reflect the readership we're trying to reach?

We wanted to organize our content around the three areas where we've heard pastors and church leaders depend on LJ:

Soul - Encouraging leaders to stay spiritually fit and committed to their call
Skills - Providing practical help to sharpen skills and improve their leadership
Culture - Helping leaders understand their cultural context and how it fits into ministry

We also highlight a couple benefits that we feel we're uniquely positioned to provide. One is a weekly Trend Watch—we provide some perspective on the buzz and chatter within the church world. The goal here is not just to report "what's happening," but provide some thoughtful reflection and wisdom on what's happening.

Another unique area is Conversations. Leadership Journal strives for balance and diversity of thought, and here we provide a platform for church leaders across the spectrum to discuss and dialogue about important ministry issues with love and civility.

How long did that whole redesign take?

We started in earnest about a year before launch. With large web projects like this, we start with research. We did analysis of the current site, and surveyed and talked with our audience. As a team, we dreamed what we'd like to see and asked questions like, "What can we uniquely provide?" and "How can we help people find what they need as quickly as possible?"

After research and conceptualizing, we started a very intense phase of documenting everything and figuring out things like site navigation, how to organize content, and the look and feel of the site. We mocked up web pages, and then our web design and development team got involved and did an incredible job of making our vision reality.

How did you know it was time to redesign LeadershipJournal.net?

Oh, it was very clear to everyone. It was an old site, and Leadership Journal had put most of its focus on print. Strategically, we wanted our digital presence to be just as important as print, if not more. Now on the web, mobile, and tablets, we can provide more content, faster and in a more accessible way. It's exciting because all of the unique aspects of Leadership Journal integrate really well now. When you're in print and then go to the web, mobile, our newsletter, or social media, you know you're looking at Leadership Journal. It's in the details—the look, the feel, the tone, and the way everything is laid out.

What was your role in a site redesign?

I served as project manager, which basically meant that I kept the project moving—on time and on budget. I continue to synthesize the team's ideas and vision, help our team reach consensus, handle research, content preparation, and documentation, and interface with different departments to make sure communication is open and clear as we keep the site growing.

It sometimes feels overwhelming because there are thousands of details to balance and keep organized, but it's so energizing to see a team come together and have so much progress over a year. The best part is hearing positive feedback from our audience, because we've tried hard to listen to them and provide valuable add-ons that they didn't experience before.

What is the highest priority of a redesign?

To put out a product that we're very proud of, and that will work well into the future. It's essential that it serves the needs of our audience—in this case, the pastors and church leaders that trust us.

See the story behind the story of other award-winning content from the 2013 Evangelical Press Association convention.