Resources for Re-Entry Website

Overview

For my senior design project, I led a team of three UX designers to develop a website for a non-profit volunteer organization called the Women's Storybook Project of Texas (WSP), which is dedicated to maintaining connections between incarcerated mothers and their children through literacy. 

Over 15 weeks, our goal was to design and develop a resources website to support women post-incarceration, providing them with essential tools for re-entry into society.

The Challenge

WSP wanted to extend their connections to outside of the prison environment, my team and I were tasked to develop a centralized, accessible, and mobile-friendly platform to assist previously incarcerated women in finding felon-friendly resources. 

The main resources we focused on were:

• Housing and shelter assistance

• Community support and education

• Budgeting and meal preparation guidance

• Emergency/ Mental health services

My Role

As Project Manager, I led a UX designer and a UX researcher, overseeing project timelines, ensuring efficient communication, and fostering team motivation. 

Due to the size of my team, I also gained experience as a designer and researcher.

My key responsibilities included:

• Time and task management: Adopted an Agile mindset utilizing a Trello Kanban board, meeting minutes, daily agendas, brainstorming sessions, and constant iterations.

• Facilitating all client communication: I acted as the main contact between my team and our client as well as our project advisor.

• Encouraging collaboration and maintaining team morale: As project manager, I ensured we stayed on track with our timeline while fostering a motivated and cohesive team environment.

• Overseeing research, testing, and design implementation: I was in charge of making sure everything was possible to complete in 15-weeks.

• Logo redesign: I took the lead on developing the WSP resources logo.

Research Process

Secondary Research

We began by conducting a literature review to understand existing challenges in re-entry support and educate ourselves to the reality of what these individuals are experiencing during re-entry. 

Understanding these challenges allowed us to identify opportunities for growth and increase empathy.

Key Findings

1. The re-entry process is extremely difficult.

   1. Mental health services are extremely important!

   2. Easily accessible information is a must.

2. Power in gamification practices to increase engagement.

Primary Research

Gathered insights through:

• Survey: Conducted through Microsoft Forms to understand the needs and expectations of this website to make it impactful.

Key Findings

Based on 4 responses from 2 WSP employees, 1 prison volunteer, 1 prison guard.

1. The simpler the user interface the better.

2. Additional resources from job fairs and free clothing options to other organizations with similar missions to WSP.

3. Extremely difficult to get responses without established relationship.

   1. I cold called many local businesses and police station with zero leads.

   2. Our client sent our requests to their contacts with zero leads.

• Usability Testing: A/B testing on high-fidelity prototypes with our client contact to assess user preferences and optimize the interface.

• Website Walkthroughs: Conducted final walkthrough with our client to gather feedback before accepting product as complete, ensuring no surprises presentation day.

Key Takeaways

This project was an incredibly rewarding experience that enhanced my skills in:

• Project Management: Effectively planning, scheduling, and leading a team.

• Client Communication: Learning how to navigate client expectations and feedback.

• Team Motivation & Collaboration: Fostering a productive and positive work environment and working through conflict.

• User Research & Testing: Conducting usability studies to inform design decisions and importance of networking.

• Graphic Design & Branding: Creating visual assets, including a logo and branding elements for the website.