Lake-Sunapee-Living.com case study

Lake-Sunapee-Living.com case study
Building and Evolving a Regional Digital Platform (2006–Present)

Role: Founder, Lead Web Designer
Scope: Product strategy, UX/UI design, content platform, ongoing iteration

Overview

Project name: Lake Sunapee Living
Your role (e.g., Designer, Developer, Full-Stack, Solo builder)
Timeline
Purpose of the site (real estate listings? local guide? lead gen?)
Link to the live site

Lake Sunapee Living began as a personal project in 2006 and has evolved into a long-running digital platform focused on local businesses, lifestyle content, and regional discovery.

Over nearly two decades, the site has gone through multiple redesigns—each iteration improving structure, usability, and clarity while adapting to changes in user behavior, technology, and content strategy.

This project represents not just a website, but a continuous process of design, refinement, and long-term product thinking.

Lake-Sunapee-Living.com 2026
WordPress Based

Lake-Sunapee-Living.com 2009
HTML Based

2. Problem / Goal

Explain why the site exists.

  • What problem were you solving?
  • Who is the target audience? (e.g., homebuyers, tourists, locals)
  • Business goal (e.g., generate leads, showcase listings, improve SEO visibility)

Example:

Users needed an easy way to explore Lake Sunapee properties and local lifestyle content in one place.

The core challenge was not a single redesign—it was sustaining and evolving a platform over 20 years.

Key challenges of the original 2006 version of the site included:

  • Organizing diverse content in ancient HTML (business listings, articles, local features) without overwhelming users
  • Maintaining relevance as design standards and user expectations changed
  • Creating a structure that could scale as content and features expanded
  • Balancing editorial storytelling with revenue generation from ads

4. Strategy & Planning

How you approached the solution.

  • Site structure (pages, navigation)
  • Content strategy (blog, listings, guides)
  • Key features (search, filters, maps, forms)

Rather than a one-time build, I approached Lake Sunapee Living as an evolving product—continuously refining its structure, content, and user experience.

I worked with local artists to create exclusive items for sale.

Below are my

Lake Sunapee Depth Chart 16 x 20 restoration of artwork by John “Babe” Sargent

The Boathouses of Lake Sunapee collection by Joan Pippen on a 20 x 35 poster.

Lake Sunapee products

5. Design

Explain your visual and UX decisions.

  • Wireframes or layout thinking
  • Branding (colors, typography, tone)
  • UX decisions (e.g., easy navigation, mobile-first design)
  • Accessibility considerations

As content grew, simplifying navigation became critical. I focused on making it easy for users to quickly find businesses, explore content, and understand the purpose of the site.

[nav montage]

6. Development

This is where you show your technical skills.

  • Tech stack (e.g., React, WordPress, Webflow, custom HTML/CSS)
  • Integrations (MLS, APIs, forms, analytics)
  • Performance optimization
  • SEO implementation (meta tags, schema, speed)

 

7. Challenges & Solutions

This is very important for resumes.

  • What went wrong or was difficult?
  • How you solved it

Example:

  • Handling large image loads → implemented lazy loading
  • SEO competition → targeted long-tail keywords

More recent iterations incorporate AI-assisted workflows to streamline content creation, layout ideation, and design improvements—reducing production time while maintaining quality.

[claude refactoring page]

8. Results / Impact (MOST IMPORTANT)

Quantify whenever possible.

  • Traffic growth
  • Lead generation
  • Page speed improvements
  • SEO rankings
  • User engagement (bounce rate, time on site)

Even approximate metrics are better than none.

9. Screenshots / Visuals

Include:

  • Homepage
  • Key pages (listings, blog, etc.)
  • Mobile views

10. What You Learned

Shows growth and reflection.

  • Skills gained
  • What you’d improve next time

Lake Sunapee Living is my most comprehensive design project—spanning strategy, execution, and long-term evolution.

It reflects how I approach web design at a lead level: not just creating websites, but building and improving truly unique, top-quality digital experiences over time with a focus on usability, structure, and real-world impact.

–Lou Bradbard

Website Portfolio Video