Case Study • Crystal Reyes
Baldie Con
Modernizing a growing community conference platform for performance, accessibility, and scale.
Overview
Baldie Con is an annual empowerment conference in Atlanta celebrating the alopecia community. The platform required a full migration from a legacy WordPress-based site to a modern Next.js architecture, driven by the need to resolve critical performance deficits and accessibility barriers that were limiting community engagement.
What I Owned
I governed the full technical strategy and execution for the platform rebuild, leading every layer from architecture decisions and design system implementation, to accessibility audits, performance optimization, and automated deployment pipelines.
The Challenge
The legacy WordPress platform had accumulated severe performance debt. Low Lighthouse scores, slow rendering times, and systemic accessibility gaps meant the site was failing users during high-traffic community events.
Legacy CMS performance bottlenecks
The WordPress site served unoptimized images with heavy plugin overhead, struggling under load during critical high-traffic announcement periods.
Accessibility barriers
Keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility had not been addressed systematically, creating an unintended barrier to the community.
Operational overhead at event time
Content updates and platform integrations required manual work that didn't scale organically as the event grew.
The Solution
I migrated the platform to Next.js and built a design system grounded in Radix UI primitives, enabling both a premium visual experience and strict accessibility compliance from day one. Performance was addressed systematically through Cloudinary media optimization and code splitting.
- 1Migrated from WordPress to a modern Next.js + TypeScript architecture with full control over rendering and performance
- 2Implemented Cloudinary media optimization (f_auto, q_auto, responsive sizing) to reduce asset payload and achieve LCP of 0.6s
- 3Conducted a comprehensive 50+ point accessibility audit and built the redesigned UI using Radix UI primitives for correct ARIA semantics and keyboard behavior out of the box
- 4Designed and implemented a cohesive Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui design system reflecting the Baldie Con brand
- 5Integrated operational systems including ticketing, payment processing, and volunteer management to support live event logistics
- 6Implemented prefers-reduced-motion support throughout all animations for users with vestibular disorders
Outcomes & Impact
The new platform achieved a 98/100 Lighthouse performance score, reduced LCP to 0.6 seconds, and reached full WCAG 2.1 AA conformance while delivering a premium cinematic experience that reflects the energy and mission of the Baldie Con community.
Lighthouse score improved from the mid-40s to 98, with LCP dropping to 0.6 seconds, making the platform reliably fast on the announcement days that matter most.
A 50+ point audit drove a complete rebuild of interactive components using Radix UI primitives, eliminating accessibility barriers and achieving WCAG 2.1 AA conformance.
Integrated event management systems reduced manual overhead and allowed the team to focus on community experience rather than platform maintenance during live events.