Overview

Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) is one of the leading organizations in the fight against human trafficking. In Summer 2020, O.U.R. recognized that not everyone had a clear understanding of the organization's multifaceted mission or how they could actively contribute.

My role was to kickstart the website redesign project for O.U.R. by leading a series of workshops to ideate and formulate unique solutions. These solutions were then translated into the initial mockups for the site.

The Problem

O.U.R. is a non-profit that goes beyond rescue and aftercare in its mission to combat human trafficking. However, based on feedback from followers and social media inquiries, O.U.R. identified a significant issue – many individuals did not fully comprehend the extent of O.U.R.'s work or how they could contribute, thereby constraining O.U.R.'s outreach to potential donors and supporters.

Research

After conducting a series of Lightning Decision Jams (LDJs) with different teams within the organization, it became evident which aspects of the website required the most focused attention. While creating a clear pathway for donations emerged as a pivotal design priority, O.U.R. also aimed to enhance the educational aspect, providing visitors with a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be an abolitionist and what they could do to help.

Ideation

In my design process, I prioritize leading with curiosity. This means actively asking questions and fostering a collaborative environment where the team can collectively generate the best solutions. The individuals at O.U.R. are experts in their respective fields, and through the use of design sprints, we quickly identified what changes would have the most significant impact. We conducted multiple sprints, each focusing on different areas of the website.

Concurrently, I conducted interviews with other team leaders, spanning aftercare, domestic, and foreign operations. Thanks to the invaluable support of the marketing team and support services, we learned what questions donors and followers had about the organization and its process. These insights informed our decisions on the essential information the website needed to convey.

Design

While O.U.R. expressed appreciation for my work, we knew the website's overall appearance required polishing. To tackle this UI challenge, we collaborated with the talented graphic designer Nicole Colton, who meticulously redesigned every page to enhance the typography and visual aesthetics of the site. To adapt to O.U.R.'s ongoing growth, the site has since undergone further updates.

I'm genuinely grateful for the opportunity I had with O.U.R., as it allowed us to uncover and prioritize the needs of their audience and organization. What fills me with the greatest satisfaction is seeing how components of the early site structure I developed have seamlessly integrated into the final version. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the outstanding cooperation and support of dedicated team members.