Overview

I developed this project for a club event: the inaugural UI/UX Bootcamp hosted by Girls Who Code at GSU. I selected the WIT website, feeling it was outdated and not aligned with current design standards. As "the premier professional association for women in the technology industry," WIT's online presence should aptly reflect its stature.

Highlights

At the UI/UX Bootcamp hosted by Girls Who Code at GSU, I was first introduced to UX/UI design. Diving deep into understanding UX, I quickly discovered my love for design and knew I wanted to pursue it as a career.

WIT's design doesn't align with current trends, which I found surprising for an organization dedicated to women in technology. After all, WIT prides itself as 'the premier professional association for women in the technology industry.'

During the discovery process, my first task was to deploy a survey to better understand my users and gain insights into their needs and preferences.

• 75% of users would be deterred from a website based on the design alone.

• What would be your reason to join a non-profit organization dedicated to the future of STEM females (even if you are male)?

• 92% agree that they would like to see the non-profits social media pages through the website in multiple places. The majority chose Instagram.

My target audience consists of female college students and young working professionals in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.

• As a user who wants to network and expand my connections, I want to be able to easily find events and job fairs so that I can increase my chances of employment.

• As a potential future member of WIT, I want to be able to see what WIT has to offer with events, blogs to learn from, and their podcast so that I can make an informed decision before joining.

• As a mid-sized business owner in the DC area, I want to sponsor WIT to support those interested in the future of technology.

Using Miro, I captured my inspirations, ideas, color schemes, and design concepts, as illustrated below. To crystallize my vision for WIT, I explored various sites and drew from diverse visual ideas.

After being inspired from the mood board and consolidating insights from my benchmarking and research, I transitioned to the next phase: sketching low-fidelity frames. This step was crucial, allowing me to transform abstract ideas and foundational research into tangible design structures.

After refining the layout and elements in the low-fidelity sketches, I proceeded to solidify these designs into high-fidelity frames. These frames provide a detailed and polished representation of the final vision, incorporating precise color schemes, typography, and other design elements.

Each phase of this project, from research to design drafting, was a step toward realizing a vision for WIT. The mood board set the tone, low-fidelity sketches laid the foundation, and high-fidelity frames provided a polished window into the potential redesign. All these facets converged into a final presentation. This culmination was showcased in front of the entire UX/UI Bootcamp class, offering a holistic view of my design journey. The session concluded with informative feedback from a board member, who provided insights and reflections on the design's direction and impact.

My first UX/UI project was transformative. Guided by the UI/UX Bootcamp and a dedicated instructor, I found my niche in design. While coding in computer science posed challenges, UX/UI design felt instinctive to me. This project laid my foundation in the field, and reflecting on it now, I recognize my significant growth.