50/50 Leadership
50/50 Leadership is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women from undeserved and marginalized communities including those who have experienced foster care, incarceration, homelessness, or gender-based violence. Through leadership development, mentorship, and community advocacy, we help women reclaim their power and define their futures.
ROLE
YEARS
TOOLS USED
UX Researcher
2021 -2022
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Challenge:
Despite having immense potential, many women from underserved backgrounds face systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing leadership opportunities. They are often excluded from educational, economic, and professional networks that foster growth.
How might we provide these women with the skills, support, and confidence to lead both within their communities and beyond?
Process
After gathering valuable insights from the card sorting exercise, I created low-fidelity wireframes to visualize an intuitive site structure based on how users naturally grouped content. These wireframes focused on simplifying navigation, highlighting essential actions like applying for programs, accessing resources, and getting involved.
I improved the usability experience for 50/50 Leadership by applying user-centered UX design principles to create a trauma-informed, accessible, and intuitive digital experience tailored to the needs of undeserved women. Through user research and card sorting exercises, gained valuable insights on user needs, their pain points and frustrations. Conducted user interviews with current and former program participants.
Key Insights
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Safety, trust, and empathy are critical to engagement
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Many women fear being stigmatized or re-traumatized
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Peer mentorship significantly increases participation and completion
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Visual representation and inclusive language matter
Outcome
The UX research work for 50/50 Leadership led to a better understanding of the user needs and a significant improvement in the overall user experience, making the platform more accessible, inclusive, and action-oriented for its diverse audience. As a result of restructuring the information architecture based on card sorting insights and developing trauma informed wireframes, users were able to navigate the site more intuitively.