Case study

Coast Internet Radio Website Redevelopment

This was a real public website project for a family-run online radio station. My aim was to make the site easier to use, clearer on mobile and stronger for real listeners.

Overview

Coast Internet Radio is a live online radio station website for a real station and a real audience. This was not coursework or a made-up brief. I built and improved the site so listeners could reach the stream, station information and support links more easily.

Screenshot showing the upper part of the Coast Internet Radio homepage.
The main live listening area on the Coast Internet Radio homepage.

The problem

The station needed a cleaner listener experience that worked better across mobile and desktop. The site also needed clearer structure, easier access to the stream, better usability and improvements based on real feedback from use.

My role

I handled the practical website work: planning improvements, updating the structure, making the layout respond properly across devices, checking usability and refining the listener journey. I also spent time testing, debugging and making sure the site felt easier to use in practice.

What I worked on

  • Site layout and structure
  • Mobile responsiveness and small-screen behaviour
  • Accessibility and usability improvements
  • Listener-focused improvements around live radio access
  • Content/admin update controls
  • Testing across devices and fixing practical issues
  • Visual polish and performance checks
Screenshot showing the lower sections of the Coast Internet Radio homepage, including show times, about content, help information and support panel.
Lower-page sections used for show information, help content and support links.

Challenges

The main challenge was building for real people rather than for a neat classroom brief. Small details mattered: mobile spacing, button clarity, stream behaviour, visual contrast and wording that made sense to listeners who were not technical.

What I learned

This project helped me understand that a useful website is not just about making it look good. It needs to work clearly, load quickly, respond well on different devices and stay understandable for real users.

What I would improve next

I would keep refining listener help content, continue testing across devices and browsers, and keep improving how station updates can be managed over time without making the site complicated.