Interactive map template
Skills: visual system design, product design, project management
In September 2026, I was assigned to make a digital template for interactive maps. While our team had developed and published standalone maps before, starting over with each asset was tedious, time-consuming, and costly.
My goal was to design a project that was:
Easy to use for editors of varied expertise
Graphically cohesive with a strong visual narrative,
Adaptable to projects of different subject matter and reading level
Creating the template
I started with a Google Sheets template, which later grew into an HTML template with extensive documentation, that incorporated scripted copy, photo credits, captions, and other media. In order to avoid making this templated content feel monotonous, I highlighted parts of the script where editors have the most discretion, such as the order of the map, the field of view, and image content.
After testing this template with the media team and editorial writers, I shortened the scope of the spreadsheet and created downloadable file trees that are recognizable to Cursor and v.0. This allows our content to be designed faster and at a lower cost.
