Gabriela Flores
SACS. CMS for Media Outlets
Designing a scalable CMS experience for faster editorial publishing workflows.
Focus: CMS / Editorial Platform / UX Strategy
Role: UX/UI Designer
Platform: Responsive Web Platform / Simplified Mobile Experience
Audience: Journalists, Editors, and Editorial Teams
Year: 2025
Context
SACS is a modular CMS platform designed for editorial teams managing high-volume digital content. Used by media outlets and publishers, the platform supports publishing workflows across web and mobile environments.
As the sole designer on the project, I collaborated closely with the product owner, developers, and stakeholders to redesign key editorial workflows, reduce friction, and create a more intuitive publishing experience focused on speed, clarity, and scalability.
The Problem
- No clear information hierarchy in editorial workflows.
- Many users relied on repetitive actions and inefficient navigation.
- The experience depended too heavily on outdated interaction patterns.
Constraints
- Editorial teams with varying technical experience.
- The platform was also highly customizable for different media clients, requiring flexible interface solutions.
- Legacy components and backend limitations.
Goals
- Create a more intuitive editorial workflow.
- Reduce cognitive overload and interface clutter.
- Improve content discoverability and task efficiency.
- Streamline publishing actions across modules.
- Establish scalable UI patterns for future growth.
- Improve usability across editorial roles.
Strategy
- Reorganized navigation around editorial priorities.
- Simplified publishing workflows across the project input form, content editor, and search experience.
- Introduced reusable interface patterns for consistency.
- Improved visual hierarchy using spacing, typography, and layout.
- Optimized content organization for faster scanning and task completion.
- Built scalable UI foundations using the Color Admin framework as a base system for consistency and faster implementation.
Before
- Visual clutter
- Complex interaction flows
- Low discoverability
- Inconsistent UI patterns
After
- Cleaner and scalable interface
- Simplified publishing workflows
- Improved navigation clarity
- Better visual hierarchy
- Increased usability and consistency
Visual Clutter Solution
The redesign reduced visual noise by prioritizing essential actions, simplifying interface components, and improving spacing across workflows.
Content-heavy areas were reorganized into clearer structures, helping editorial teams scan information faster and complete tasks more efficiently.
Outcome
The redesigned CMS improved editorial usability by simplifying workflows, reducing friction, and creating a clearer publishing experience for journalists and editors across desktop and mobile environments.
The new structure supported faster navigation, improved scalability, and more consistent interaction patterns across the platform.
The redesign also established a stronger visual system capable of supporting future product growth and evolving editorial needs.
While the platform continues in active development, the redesigned structure created a more scalable foundation for future iterations and feature expansion.
Takeaway
Designing for editorial platforms requires balancing speed, scalability, and operational clarity.
This project reinforced the importance of reducing complexity without disrupting critical publishing workflows.
It also highlighted how thoughtful UX structure can improve efficiency even within legacy systems and technical constraints.
The project also reinforced the importance of advocating for UX processes in fast-moving environments where deadlines often take priority over structured research and testing.
Gabriela Flores
SACS. CMS for Media Outlets
Designing a scalable CMS experience for faster editorial publishing workflows.
Focus: CMS / Editorial Platform / UX Strategy
Role: UX/UI Designer
Platform: Responsive Web Platform / Simplified Mobile Experience
Audience: Journalists, Editors, and Editorial Teams
Year: 2025
Team: Product Owner, Developers, Sole Designer
Framework Base: Admin UI System Color
Primary Modules: Project Input Form, Content Editor, Search Experience
Context
SACS is a modular CMS platform designed for editorial teams managing high-volume digital content. Used by media outlets and publishers, the platform supports publishing workflows across web and mobile environments.
As the sole designer on the project, I collaborated closely with the product owner, developers, and stakeholders to redesign key editorial workflows, reduce friction, and create a more intuitive publishing experience focused on speed, clarity, and scalability.
The Problem
- No clear information hierarchy in editorial workflows.
- Many users relied on repetitive actions and inefficient navigation.
- The experience depended too heavily on outdated interaction patterns.
Constraints
- Editorial teams with varying technical experience.
- The platform was also highly customizable for different media clients, requiring flexible interface solutions.
- Legacy components and backend limitations.
Goals
- Create a more intuitive editorial workflow.
- Reduce cognitive overload and interface clutter.
- Improve content discoverability and task efficiency.
- Streamline publishing actions across modules.
- Establish scalable UI patterns for future growth.
- Improve usability across editorial roles.
Strategy
- Reorganized navigation around editorial priorities.
- Simplified publishing workflows across the project input form, content editor, and search experience.
- Introduced reusable interface patterns for consistency.
- Improved visual hierarchy using spacing, typography, and layout.
- Optimized content organization for faster scanning and task completion.
- Built scalable UI foundations using the Color Admin framework as a base system for consistency and faster implementation.
Before
- Visual clutter
- Complex interaction flows
- Low discoverability
- Inconsistent UI patterns
After
- Cleaner and scalable interface
- Simplified publishing workflows
- Improved navigation clarity
- Better visual hierarchy
- Increased usability and consistency
Visual Clutter Solution
The redesign reduced visual noise by prioritizing essential actions, simplifying interface components, and improving spacing across workflows.
Content-heavy areas were reorganized into clearer structures, helping editorial teams scan information faster and complete tasks more efficiently.
Outcome
The redesigned CMS improved editorial usability by simplifying workflows, reducing friction, and creating a clearer publishing experience for journalists and editors across desktop and mobile environments.
The new structure supported faster navigation, improved scalability, and more consistent interaction patterns across the platform.
The redesign also established a stronger visual system capable of supporting future product growth and evolving editorial needs.
While the platform continues in active development, the redesigned structure created a more scalable foundation for future iterations and feature expansion.
Takeaway
Designing for editorial platforms requires balancing speed, scalability, and operational clarity.
This project reinforced the importance of reducing complexity without disrupting critical publishing workflows.
It also highlighted how thoughtful UX structure can improve efficiency even within legacy systems and technical constraints.
The project also reinforced the importance of advocating for UX processes in fast-moving environments where deadlines often take priority over structured research and testing.
Gabriela Flores
SACS. CMS for Media Outlets
Designing a scalable CMS experience for faster editorial publishing workflows.
Focus: CMS / Editorial Platform / UX Strategy
Role: UX/UI Designer
Platform: Responsive Web Platform / Simplified Mobile Experience
Audience: Journalists, Editors, and Editorial Teams
Year: 2025
Team: Product Owner, Developers, Sole Designer
Framework Base: Admin UI System Color
Primary Modules: Project Input Form, Content Editor, Search Experience
Context
SACS is a modular CMS platform designed for editorial teams managing high-volume digital content. Used by media outlets and publishers, the platform supports publishing workflows across web and mobile environments.
As the sole designer on the project, I collaborated closely with the product owner, developers, and stakeholders to redesign key editorial workflows, reduce friction, and create a more intuitive publishing experience focused on speed, clarity, and scalability.
The Problem
- No clear information hierarchy in editorial workflows.
- Many users relied on repetitive actions and inefficient navigation.
- The experience depended too heavily on outdated interaction patterns.
Constraints
- Editorial teams with varying technical experience.
- The platform was also highly customizable for different media clients, requiring flexible interface solutions.
- Legacy components and backend limitations.
Goals
- Create a more intuitive editorial workflow.
- Reduce cognitive overload and interface clutter.
- Improve content discoverability and task efficiency.
- Streamline publishing actions across modules.
- Establish scalable UI patterns for future growth.
- Improve usability across editorial roles.
Strategy
- Reorganized navigation around editorial priorities.
- Simplified publishing workflows across the project input form, content editor, and search experience.
- Introduced reusable interface patterns for consistency.
- Improved visual hierarchy using spacing, typography, and layout.
- Optimized content organization for faster scanning and task completion.
- Built scalable UI foundations using the Color Admin framework as a base system for consistency and faster implementation.
Before
- Visual clutter
- Complex interaction flows
- Low discoverability
- Inconsistent UI patterns
After
- Cleaner and scalable interface
- Simplified publishing workflows
- Improved navigation clarity
- Better visual hierarchy
- Increased usability and consistency
Visual Clutter Solution
The redesign reduced visual noise by prioritizing essential actions, simplifying interface components, and improving spacing across workflows.
Content-heavy areas were reorganized into clearer structures, helping editorial teams scan information faster and complete tasks more efficiently.
Outcome
The redesigned CMS improved editorial usability by simplifying workflows, reducing friction, and creating a clearer publishing experience for journalists and editors across desktop and mobile environments.
The new structure supported faster navigation, improved scalability, and more consistent interaction patterns across the platform.
The redesign also established a stronger visual system capable of supporting future product growth and evolving editorial needs.
While the platform continues in active development, the redesigned structure created a more scalable foundation for future iterations and feature expansion.
Takeaway
Designing for editorial platforms requires balancing speed, scalability, and operational clarity.
This project reinforced the importance of reducing complexity without disrupting critical publishing workflows.
It also highlighted how thoughtful UX structure can improve efficiency even within legacy systems and technical constraints.
The project also reinforced the importance of advocating for UX processes in fast-moving environments where deadlines often take priority over structured research and testing.