Designing a journal website is not just about aesthetics—it is about making the research content accessible, discoverable, and easy to navigate for readers, authors, and reviewers. Two of the most respected medical journals in the world, **The British Medical Journal (BMJ)** and **The Lancet**, have set high standards in user experience (UX) and design. In this blog, we explore practical lessons from their platforms and how to apply them when building or redesigning your own academic journal website.

What Makes a Journal Website User-Friendly?

A user-friendly journal website ensures that users—whether researchers, authors, reviewers, or the general public—can easily:

• – Search for and find relevant articles
• – Understand the scope and purpose of the journal
• – Navigate issues, volumes, and categories without confusion
• – Access full-text articles in various formats (HTML, PDF, XML)
• – Submit manuscripts and check submission status easily

Lessons from BMJ (British Medical Journal)

BMJ’s design is modern, clean, and highly functional. Key lessons include:

• – Strong emphasis on search and filter tools, including topic tags and sidebars
• – Clear segmentation between different types of content (research, opinion, education)
• – Responsive design that adjusts beautifully across devices
• – Integration of multimedia (videos, infographics) alongside articles
• – Visible citation metrics and Altmetrics on article pages

Lessons from The Lancet

The Lancet is known for its editorial strength and minimalist design. Notable features include:

• – Minimal homepage clutter, focusing user attention on top research articles
• – Easy navigation through volumes, issues, and sections using dropdowns and tabs
• – Abstract previews with quick-access links to full text and PDF downloads
• – Consistent use of branding, fonts, and colours for a professional feel
• – Structured metadata and SEO-friendly article layouts

Applying These Lessons to Your Journal Website

You do not need to copy BMJ or The Lancet—but you can adopt key strategies to improve your site’s user experience:

• – Use a clean, mobile-responsive design with easy-to-read typography
• – Implement powerful search and filter functionality
• – Offer article previews and clear download options
• – Categorise articles by topic, type, or issue to aid navigation
• – Display article-level metrics if possible (views, citations, shares)
• – Ensure accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1)

How Mamba Technologies Can Help You

At Mamba Technologies, we design and develop modern, user-centred journal websites for universities, research institutions, and publishers. Inspired by best practices from platforms like BMJ and The Lancet, we deliver:
– Clean and responsive web interfaces using WordPress or OJS
– Custom features such as article filtering, advanced search, and PDF previews
– Integration with ORCID, Crossref, and DOI systems
– Migration from legacy journal sites to modern platforms
– JATS XML structuring and PubMed-ready metadata formats
– SEO and accessibility optimisation (including WCAG 2.1 compliance)

Whether you are launching a new journal or upgrading an existing one, we are ready to support your publishing vision.

Contact us today:
– Call us on 0721651572
– Email us at info@mambatechnologies.co.ke
– Visit www.mambatechnologies.co.ke