Employ to Empower UX Redesign
Leading the website redesign of Employ to Empower, a charity helping those facing social barriers.
Big Picture
As the Web Design Intern on the two-person intern team, I led the complete redesign of their website. The previous website was outdated and inconsistent. My task was to create a modern, efficient, and user-friendly platform that streamlined the workflow of 3 types of major users: participants, mentors, and partners.
Role:
Web Designer
Timeline:
Jun 2024 - Sep 2024
Tools:
Figma, Wordpress
Team:
Jackie Crowley, Janice Wang
Background
Employ to Empower is a Vancouver-based charity, who’s mission is to empower individuals who face work and social barriers to cultivate community connections through entrepreneurship and self-advocacy opportunities. ETE provides Business Skills Training programs, mentorship sessions, and networking opportunities to set the participants up for success.
The ETE website is the primary way that potential participants learn about the program, mentors learn about how to get involved, and partners can donate.
My Role
As the Web Design Intern, I was responsible for both the UX redesign and the web development implementation of the new site. My primary goals were:
Simplify and make excellent the user experience
Update the website’s content
Enhance the visual representation of ETE’s mission.
Given that the previous update to the site was a couple of years old, there was a significant amount of outdated information that needed to be refreshed.
Design Process
Initial Analysis
I started by analyzing the existing sitemap, identifying what needed to change, and deciding what should be kept or discarded. This allowed me to create a more efficient and streamlined sitemap that aligned with ETE’s goals.
Competitor Analysis
I conducted a thorough analysis of competitors, including organizations like United Way BC, Freedom Service Dogs, and Doctors Without Borders. This helped identify industry standards and innovative ideas that could be incorporated into ETE’s redesign.
Interviews/Identify Focus
I interviewed key stakeholders at ETE, including the CEO, Marketing Lead, and other team members. The focus was on understanding their goals for the website, such as increasing participant enrollment, boosting business partnerships, and clarifying the organization’s mission.
This stage was crucial and helped me learn A LOT about ETE and how users use the current website. The CEO, Marketing Lead, and Partnerships Lead were incredibly knowledgable about the main types of users of the website: entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners. They were able to recall past examples of interactions they had that reinforced these insights.
How Might We's/Ideation
I facilitated brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for each aspect of the redesign, from general page layouts to specific design elements like cursor animations.
I developed lo-fi and sketch concepts for each page and its components, ensuring that the design would meet the identified goals.
Final Design
The final design process involved creating detailed mid-fi wireframes in Figma, which were then implemented in Wordpress. This phase was particularly challenging as I had to create designs without access to finalized website copy or images. This forced me to overcoming this challenge by focusing on layout flexibility and scalable design solutions that could adapt to future content
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges I faced was managing both the UX design and the web development aspects of the project within a short 9-week internship. Learning WordPress from scratch while trying to implement a complex redesign was demanding, but it also provided me with valuable insights into web development that I wouldn’t have gained otherwise.
Outcome
Although the final website is still awaiting launch, I have developed detailed wireframes and design prototypes that are ready for implementation. These deliverables reflect a modern, user-friendly, and mission-driven design that aligns with ETE’s objectives.
Reflections
This project taught me the importance of setting achievable goals at the start of any project. Understanding the scope and ensuring it is manageable within the given timeframe is crucial for success. Additionally, working on-site allowed for spontaneous collaboration, which often led to greater inspiration and a stronger connection to the company’s mission.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at ETE. I am especially grateful to have worked with such an amazing marketing team, huge shoutouts to Vivian Wong and Janice Wang!
