Daeyeon Kimko

Product Design

Timeline

Feb 2025 — Apr 2025
span out project from ScienceHub

Responsible

mobile app design
UX & design research
visualising insight
aligning business value
facilitating co-creative workshop
service blueprint & data eco-system mapping
user journey & flow
prototyping & execution, user testing

Outcome

*
executed digital product, ScienceHub

**
reduced duplicated data records by 27%

***
cut down manual engagement processing lead time from 6-8 weeks to 2 weeks

****
set up usability and satisfaction matrix for tracking user experience score

*****
ensured data handling meets GDPR guideline

scienceHub on-the-go * novo nordisk

How can we transform unclear administrative processes into actionable mobile workflows across the collaboration lifecycle?

‍This mobile companion to the ScienceHub platform enabled healthcare professionals to manage their engagements on-the-go, eliminating the administrative friction for time-sensitive tasks like receipt submission and looking over details of engagement. Qualitative feedback emphasised how temporal framing created a psychological shift from overwhelmed to in-control, with one professional adding "transformed administrative work from this mess of tasks into a concrete checklist I could actually complete."

The project showed that mobile experiences demand fundamentally different information architectures than desktop counterparts. Simply adapting desktop workflows to smaller screens fails to respect the situational, interruptible, and time-constrained nature of mobile usage. By designing specifically for contexts where HCPs needed mobile access, in transit, between commitments, capturing ephemeral information, the experience felt natural to professional workflows rather than a compromised desktop experience.

Problem space

While ScienceHub centralised engagement workflows with desktop-first approach, healthcare professionals needed mobile access to critical information during distinct usage contexts: tracking their activities and tasks during morning routines, checking details while in transit to events, and capturing receipts immediately after conferences before they were misplaced. The desktop-first system forced professionals to delay administrative tasks until returning to their offices, creating risks in approval processes and frustration that distracted from medical knowledge work.

Research with five former professionals across specialties revealed three core pain points. First, they needed to know what required their attention today rather than browse comprehensive engagement histories, demanding prioritisation. Second, receipt submission involved prohibitively complex workflows across multiple screens with manual engagement association, leading to error-prone submissions. Third, unclear approval processes provided no visibility into administrative progress, forcing them to guess when follow-up was necessary.

Prioritising what needs attention now over comprehensive browsing

The home screen implements a personalised feed organised around levels of attention needed rather than comprehensiveness. The message explicitly states pending actions while Today/Upcoming/archive toggle pills enable quick filtering. This approach acknowledges that exploratory behaviours belong to desktop environments where users have dedicated planning time, while mobile serves as a command centre for in-the-moment decisions. Engagement cards surface at the top when action is required, with chronological ordering below for future planning.

Progress visualisation for expectation management

Each engagement card displays a status system combining phase names with percentage completion and time remaining. The horizontal progress bar provides immediate visual scanning of how far through an engagement has progressed, while time remaining creates concrete timelines that match how professionals conceptualise scheduling. This transforms abstract administrative workflows into manageable countdowns that reduce stress about processes. The design deliberately avoids granular breakdowns, instead focusing on meaningful milestones that actually inform user decisions.

First things first approach

The Inbox implements a status-based grouping strategy that separates "In progress" activities requiring attention from "Todo" items that can be deferred. Each activity row displays indicators for sender context, action descriptions with engagement titles, and timestamp recency. The collapsed approach prevents overwhelming users with comprehensive histories while maintaining awareness of total pending items. This design recognises that professionals sort information based on current context - quickly addressing critical items while deferring detailed review until focused attention is available.

Contextual receipt upload on-the-go

The upload flow solves the receipt problem through camera-first capture accessible directly from home via the global upload tab. By maintaining engagement context during the photo flow, the design eliminates manual association steps that created abandonment. Once a photo is captured, it can be selected to specific engagement to file and comment for extra context.

Visual language emphasising clarity over decoration

The interface employs a minimal card-based system with generous white space to reduce cognitive load during fragmented usage sessions. Blue accent colour appears sparingly on interactive elements like CTAs and active tabs, creating clear visual hierarchy without competing for attention. Status indicators use colour coding - blue for active phases, green for completion, red for action needed - that provides immediate scanning without requiring text comprehension.

Timeline

nov 2024 — jun 2025

Responsible

UX & design research
visualising insight
aligning business value
facilitating co-creative workshop
service blueprint & data eco-system mapping
user journey & flow
prototyping & execution, user testing

Outcome

*
executed digital product, ScienceHub

**
reduced duplicated data records by 27%

***
cut down manual engagement processing lead time from 6-8 weeks to 2 weeks

****
set up usability and satisfaction matrix for tracking user experience score

*****
ensured data handling meets GDPR guideline

ScienceHub * novo nordisk

Becoming the preferred partner of health care professionals (HCPs) while meeting increasing demand

‍I was responsible for the end-to-end discovery process, from desk research and in-depth research to synthesising insights and facilitating cross-functional alignment sessions. My research revealed how fragmented data management, decentralised information, and opaque financial processes were damaging high-priority partnerships and creating GDPR vulnerabilities. I then translated these insights into design solutions, creating the information architecture and user flows for the new platform.

The resulting strategy centred on a self-service web portal that would transform how HCPs interact with Novo Nordisk. By enabling partners to manage their profiles, track engagements, and handle expenses in one centralised hub, we aimed to reduce duplicate data records by 27%, cut manual processing lead time from 6 weeks to 2 weeks, and position Novo Nordisk as the preferred partner for scientific collaboration.

Our goal was to establish preferred partnerships with HCPs

HCPs are repeatedly asked to re-enter their information, face challenges managing expenses and documents, and must navigate communications scattered across multiple channels. These pain points lead to:

  1. Missed opportunities for collaboration.

  2. Weak relationship management and limited transparency across Global Medical Affairs lines of business.

  3. Poor data quality and privacy management for these high-priority partners, introducing potential GDPR and compliance risks.

Why

I started by reviewing existing research and materials from multiple domains. This desk research included benchmarking how others address similar challenges. From these insights, I mapped out initial assumptions and established a reference group.

I conducted five in-depth interviews, complemented by several follow-up conversations. Three participants were front-stage users interacting directly with the platform, while two represented back-stage roles supporting the service. I also held regular stakeholder meetings to ensure alignment on strategy and product vision throughout the discovery phase.

What I learned

My research revealed three systemic friction points undermining both partner experience and operational efficiency. These insights highlighted an urgent need to unify workflows, empower data management capabilities, and rebuild transparency across the engagement lifecycle.

  1. Fragmented Data Management. HCPs face redundant data entry for every engagement due to Novo Nordisk’s lack of a centralised profile system. This inconsistency creates compliance risks and erodes trust in the partnership.

  2. Decentralised Information Access. Critical documents and engagement details remain siloed across multiple platforms, forcing partners to hunt for information, delaying collaboration and decision-making.

  3. Opaque Financial Processes. Complicated expense submission and payment tracking systems lead to administrative bottlenecks, frustrating partners and delaying reimbursements.

Let's zoom out for a second

After synthesising the interview insights and desk research, I documented the key findings in MIRO and collaborated with stakeholders to align these insights with our strategic priorities. I visualised both the current ('as-is') and future ('to-be') engagement processes and mapped the data ecosystem to clarify information flows.

To gain a holistic, systems-level understanding, I developed a service blueprint that illustrated how different user types, systems, touchpoints, and user journeys interact. Throughout this phase, I facilitated multiple workshops with stakeholders from different domains, continuously refining and iterating our approach based on their feedback.

ScienceHub

A dedicated external web portal for HCPs could streamline profile management, engagement tracking, and document sharing, creating a centralised hub for collaboration. By empowering partners with self-service capabilities, such as updating their information, accessing engagement histories, and submitting expenses, this solution directly addresses fragmented workflows while reducing administrative overhead for internal teams.

The portal’s unified interface would improve data accuracy, ensure GDPR compliance through controlled access, and strengthen transparency in partner relationships. By aligning stakeholder priorities with user needs, this platform positions Novo Nordisk as a trusted partner in fostering seamless scientific exchange.

Timeline

Feb 2025 — May 2025

Responsible

UX & design research
visualising insight
aligning business value
facilitating co-creative workshop
service blueprint & data eco-system mapping
user journey & flow
rapid prototyping & AI experimental

Outcome

*
established continuous innovation pipeline, IdeaForge

Ideaforge * novo nordisk

Transforming employee pain points into digital products at Novo Nordisk

‍"Annual employee surveys revealed something unexpected. Colleagues across Novo Nordisk Global Medical Affair Medical Portfolio weren't just evaluating their work—they were volunteering creative solutions to problems they encountered daily. The Digital Transformation Office recognised this as an untapped reservoir of institutional knowledge. These weren't abstract complaints but grounded observations from people navigating real workflows across matrixed departments and geographies.

The challenge became architectural rather than transactional. How do you build a system that doesn't merely collect ideas but transforms them into validated, implementable digital products? More critically, how do you maintain human-centred rigour while moving at the speed a pharmaceutical organisation demands?

Defining the creativity system

IdeaForge emerged as a continuous innovation pipeline where any colleague could submit pain points through a dedicated platform. Guided clarification questions helped structure submissions, but the real work began after. My role centred on opportunity discovery—the phase between raw submission and strategic decision-making. Operating across four concurrent initiatives, I worked with business stakeholders, technical architects, UX colleagues, and reference groups of target users spanning multiple regions and departments.

The timeline constraint was deliberate. Each initiative targeted 1.5 months from submission to proof-of-concept initiation. This wasn't arbitrary velocity—it signalled to submitters that their observations mattered enough to warrant swift, serious investigation. The phrase "we heard you" only holds weight when followed by visible action.

Locked

Discovery as translation

The opportunity discovery phase demanded translation across multiple languages—the languages of clinical operations, data architecture, compliance frameworks, and user behaviour. My approach synthesised five research modalities. Survey instruments established baseline quantitative patterns. Prior research reviews prevented redundant investigation while surfacing historical context. User interviews uncovered emotional dimensions and unspoken assumptions. Contextual observation revealed the gap between reported and actual workflows. Co-creative workshops transformed stakeholders from information sources into active design participants.

Facilitation became as critical as research. Workshops required careful choreography to balance technical constraints with user needs, headquarters perspectives with regional realities, and immediate pain relief with long-term strategic value. The outputs—research reports, user journeys, user flows, data ecosystems, and user stories—served as shared artefacts that allowed non-designers to engage meaningfully with design thinking.

Locked

PubConnect: A case in translation

One submission exemplified the system's potential. The publication process at Novo Nordisk involved multiple teams, countless documents, and complex assessments spanning headquarters and regional affiliates. Colleagues described it as impossible to track, organise, or understand. Publication lead time stretched unnecessarily. Transparency suffered. Compliance risks accumulated.

My research revealed something more nuanced than the initial pain point suggested. Users didn't simply want better tracking—they wanted bidirectional knowledge flow. Regional teams preparing publication propositions felt blind to headquarters' medical priorities, trending topics, and strategic interests. They wanted to understand the review criteria before submitting, not discover misalignment after. Headquarters teams wanted visibility into regional publication pipelines to provide proactive guidance rather than reactive rejection.

The platform concept emerged from this deeper understanding. PubConnect became a one-stop publication management system where all teams could share their publication propositions, track progress transparently, and exchange strategic intelligence. The value proposition extended beyond time savings to include decreased compliance risk, increased annual publication capacity, and ultimately more citations when publications reached the medical community.

Locked

Value proposition through matrix thinking

After workshops generated potential solutions, the work shifted to structured prioritisation. Working with our business analyst, I adapted a product trio framework assessing each idea across four dimensions: urgency, expandability, business value, and technical feasibility. This wasn't subjective ranking—we constructed matrixed questions for domain experts. Architects scored technical feasibility. Business stakeholders evaluated strategic alignment. Compliance specialists assessed risk mitigation.

Each potential solution received numerical scores that we visualised in comparative charts. But numbers alone wouldn't convince leadership. Rapid prototyping became essential communication. Using AI tools like Lovable, I created tangible visualisations of each concept. These weren't polished mockups but functional enough for stakeholders to grasp implementation reality. AI-assisted prototyping proved transformative here—what previously required weeks of design iteration now took days, allowing us to present multiple options simultaneously.

The classic tension emerged repeatedly: build versus buy. Some stakeholders advocated for purchasing existing solutions while others pushed for custom development. Our assessment framework made these discussions evidence-based rather than political. When scoring revealed a commercial solution couldn't accommodate Novo Nordisk's specific regulatory requirements, the build argument gained traction. When internal development would duplicate existing capabilities, buy-it scenarios prevailed.

We minimised tension through radical transparency. Each scoring criterion had documented methodology. Reference persons from business, technical, and user perspectives reviewed assessments. Workshops remained open forums where disagreement was expected and documented. Once leadership selected an initiative for proof-of-concept, we allocated it to the appropriate project team with full context transfer.

Locked

Measuring what matters

Success metrics aligned with pharmaceutical reality. Time-to-market measured how quickly validated treatments reached patients. Compliance and legal risk reduction quantified avoided regulatory penalties. Time-saved calculations showed operational efficiency gains. Adoption rates indicated whether solutions actually changed daily workflows. For PubConnect specifically, we projected measurable decreases in publication lead time, which translated directly to increased annual publication capacity and reduced compliance incidents.

These weren't vanity metrics but business value calculations that justified continued investment in IdeaForge itself. Each implemented solution validated the model—employee observations contained genuine strategic insight when properly investigated and translated into action.

Locked

Reflection

Operating within a highly matrixed pharmaceutical organisation taught me that design thinking requires organisational thinking. The most elegant user interface fails if it doesn't account for technical architecture constraints, regulatory frameworks, and cross-departmental workflows. My role expanded beyond traditional UX practice to become a translator between epistemologies—helping engineers understand user emotion, helping clinicians grasp technical limitations, helping executives see strategic value in operational pain points.

The work reinforced that research isn't about validating predetermined solutions but about discovering the actual problem. What colleagues initially described as tracking issues in PubConnect revealed itself as a knowledge-sharing gap. What seemed like workflow inefficiency often masked deeper questions about organisational transparency and trust.

IdeaForge demonstrated that systematic innovation can coexist with human-centred design when the system itself embodies human-centred principles. Colleagues weren't submitting feature requests—they were offering their lived experience as design material. Treating that experience with research rigour and strategic discipline created outcomes that genuinely improved daily work life across a global organisation.

Timeline

apr 2024 — may 2024

Responsible

UX & design research
prototyping
facilitating co-creative workshop
visualising insight
user testing
development

Outcome

*
shipped responsive website experience 2.0

**
reduced conversion time-on-task by 29%

***
encreased time-on-page by 62%

****
Ensured the site meets WCAG guideline

*****
lunch new feature of donation, crowd-funding

Website 2.0 * Yennenga Progress

Transforming NGO engagement through strategic design

Yennenga Progress's website failed to communicate their mission of building sustainable societies in Burkina Faso, resulting in high bounce rates and minimal donor engagement. Through eight weeks of intensive research and design, our team discovered that users couldn't understand what the organisation did or how to contribute, often abandoning the site after navigating through multiple confusing pages. We restructured the entire information architecture around user mental models rather than organisational hierarchy, leading with compelling visual storytelling and creating clear contribution pathways.

The redesigned experience reduced the time to find donation options by 29% and increased time-on-page by 62%, while users finally reported emotional connection to the organisation's work. The project demonstrated how strategic design thinking transforms complex NGO communication challenges into intuitive digital experiences that connect donors with meaningful impact opportunities.

Tackling fundamental problem

Yennenga Progress, a Swedish NGO dedicated to building sustainable societies in Burkina Faso, struggled with a fundamental problem: visitors couldn't understand their mission or figure out how to contribute. During our initial stakeholder interviews, the organisation revealed their website's bounce rates were alarmingly high, and donation conversions remained frustratingly low. The existing site buried critical information across multiple pages, forcing users to navigate through confusing hierarchies just to understand what the organisation actually did.

Research time

Our research methodology combined multiple approaches to understand user friction points comprehensively. We began by mapping existing user flows, which revealed a scattered structure where critical actions like donating required navigating through five different pages. The pre-research from Yennenga Progress confirmed what we suspected: users were abandoning the site before understanding the organisation's purpose.

Through competitive analysis of similar NGOs, we identified patterns in successful donor engagement strategies. Organisations that led with compelling visual storytelling and clear value propositions saw significantly higher engagement rates. We conducted user interviews with potential donors and business partners, discovering that users failed to understand not just what Yennenga Progress did, but how their specific skills or resources could contribute to the mission.

The most revealing insights came from our screen recording and card sorting sessions. Watching users struggle to find basic information was painful but illuminating. One participant spent ten plus minutes searching for donation options, eventually giving up with the comment: "I'm still not sure what they are doing." Another business owner couldn't determine whether corporate partnerships were even possible, despite actively searching for this information.

What I learned

Our card sorting workshop became the turning point in restructuring the site's information architecture. We gathered all user feedback and reorganised content based on mental models rather than organisational structure. Four critical insights emerged from this synthesis:

  1. The lack of clear mission communication directly influenced users' willingness to engage. Without understanding what Yennenga Progress accomplished, users had no emotional connection to motivate donation.

  2. The contribution pathway confusion meant even motivated users couldn't find appropriate ways to help. The fragmented information hierarchy forced users to piece together the organisation's story across multiple disconnected pages.

  3. Most importantly, we discovered that compelling storytelling was the key differentiator between NGOs that successfully engaged donors and those that didn't.

Design solution

The redesigned experience prioritises immediate comprehension and emotional connection. The new homepage leads with a powerful mission statement: "Create conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential," accompanied by authentic imagery from Burkina Faso that immediately contextualises the organisation's work.

We restructured the navigation to follow user mental models, consolidating "What We Do," "How It Works," and "Projects" as primary navigation items. The donation button received persistent visibility across all pages, using a contrasting orange that stands out against the site's blue and earth-tone palette. Each page now tells a complete story rather than fragmenting information, allowing users to understand Yennenga Progress's approach, impact, and needs within a single viewport.

The Engage section became a central hub for all contribution types, whether users wanted to donate money, share skills, or establish business partnerships. Each pathway received clear explanations and immediate action buttons, eliminating the previous multi-page journey. We introduced visual hierarchy through typography and colour to guide users naturally through the content, using larger headlines for key messages and colour-coded sections for different project areas.

That's a wrap

This project reinforced how strategic design thinking can transform complex organisational challenges into intuitive user experiences. The key wasn't adding more information but rather restructuring existing content to align with user expectations and emotional journeys. By prioritising storytelling over organisational structure, we created a digital experience that connects donors with meaningful impact opportunities.

The collaboration between UX and frontend disciplines proved essential to the project's success. Design decisions informed by research insights ensured we solved real user problems rather than assumed ones. This iterative approach, constantly validated through user testing, demonstrates how meaningful design emerges from deep understanding of both user needs and organisational goals.

Timeline

nov 2023 — jan 2024

Responsible

UX & design research
prototyping
facilitating co-creative workshop
visualising insight
user testing
graphic design

Outcome

*
shipped responsive website experience 2.0

**
reduced conversion time-on-task by 43%

***
increased time-on-page by 26%

****
ensured the site meets WCAG guideline

Website 2.0 * Fredrika Bremer-Förbundet

Communicating better with user to encourage them to take an action through website experience

During my collaboration with Fredrika Bremer-Förbundet, I led the research, strategy and design for a website redesign that would better serve their mission of advancing gender equality through education, scholarships, and member engagement. Through user research, card sorting exercises, and stakeholder collaboration, I discovered that users needed more than just information but they sought inspiration and clear pathways to action.

I was responsible for the complete design process, from initial research through to final implementation. By developing three illustrated user personas and conducting participatory card sorting sessions with both users and clients, I uncovered that unclear website hierarchy and unstructured information were preventing users from achieving their goals. My research revealed that storytelling and inspiration, not just facts, were crucial drivers for membership decisions.

The resulting design strategy focused on restructuring the information architecture to create intuitive user journeys, integrating compelling narratives alongside practical resources. By transforming how FBF presents their 140-year legacy and ongoing work, we aimed to increase member engagement, streamline access to resources, and strengthen FBF's position as a modern force for gender equality in Swedish society.

A website often serves as the primary point of contact between an organisation and its audience

For years, FBF has championed women’s rights and gender equity through education, community initiatives, and scholarships. Their commitment extends beyond these efforts, they continually broaden their reach by sharing vital information and hosting impactful events. The website redesign set out to create a human-centred digital experience that would enhance usability, clarify content for diverse audiences, and motivate visitors to get involved.

Despite a redesign in 2021, the FBF website struggled to clearly communicate the organisation’s mission. Usability issues persisted, and as new content and features were added, the site’s design became more focused on ease of maintenance than on the needs of its users. As a result, the experience failed to fully consider the expectations and goals of FBF’s community.

So what goals did we have

As highlighted in IDEO’s work on human-centred design, this approach is crucial for developing solutions that address social challenges effectively. By centring the needs, experiences, and aspirations of real people, human-centred design enables organisations to create digital experiences that are not only functional but also meaningful and impactful for the communities they serve. In collaboration with HyperIsland, the project set out to redesign FBF’s website with three clear objectives:

  1. Ensure intuitive navigation for all users, whether they are new to FBF or already familiar with its mission.

  2. Boost the visibility and accessibility of the ‘Hire Us’ page, encouraging potential partners to connect with FBF’s expertise.

  3. Build a platform that communicates effectively and inspires meaningful engagement, motivating visitors to take action.

I started with

Before diving into the redesign, I set out to understand what was working and what wasn’t. My process included:

  1. Analysing website performance through Google Analytics and Semrush to uncover user behaviour and traffic patterns.

  2. Reviewing previous research conducted by the client to build on existing insights.

  3. Conducting a targeted survey with current FBF members and site visitors to identify user needs and pinpoint usability challenges.

  4. Carrying out in-depth interviews and usability testing with users, non-users, and stakeholders to explore how people interact with the site, why they visit, and what obstacles they encounter.

  5. Performing a competitive analysis by examining websites of related organisations, which revealed both common pain points and inspiring solutions worth considering.

Early insights

  1. Hidden informations. Users were frustrated with finding informations about organisation. Users wanted to reach right information in right place.

  2. Trust issues. Often, users were not convinced enough to take an action. Users would need to know transparency information.

  3. Unexpected designs. Users were annoyed that confusing navigation, and calls-to-action on the website caused them to miss important information.

Deeper insights

The research phase revealed insights that, while seemingly obvious, underscored a critical truth: users expect a seamless and intuitive experience. With FBF offering a wide range of resources, users needed clear pathways to efficiently achieve their goals. By repeatedly asking “why,” it became evident that clarity and guidance were essential.

To keep our focus on these needs, I developed three illustrated user personas grounded in our research and data. These personas captured key user motivations, goals, and mindsets, serving as ongoing reference points throughout the project. We also conducted a card sorting exercise, inviting users and the client to participate, to rethink the site’s information architecture. By organising content and topics according to user expectations, we gained valuable feedback that directly informed the restructuring of the website.

  1. Not only information about FBF but also storytelling & inspiration influence the decision to join membership.

  2. Unclear website hierarchy and unstructured information make it challenging to achieve a goal.

How might we help users and the FBF communicate better through the website

The FBF website currently creates confusion for users due to several key issues: poorly designed navigation, an unclear sense of who the site is for, difficulty locating important pages, ambiguous information, and an inefficient layout. These obstacles disrupt the flow of communication between FBF and its users, ultimately causing visitors to lose interest and disengage. We identified three primary audiences for the redesign:

  1. Leaders and external partners seeking to hire FBF for educational sessions.

  2. Current FBF members looking for event details and news updates.

  3. Journalists and outsiders searching for announcements and information about FBF.

To address these different needs, the website was structured around two core experiences. The informative experience delivers comprehensive details about FBF’s mission and activities, aiming to educate visitors and inspire them to get involved. The engaging experience, tailored for members and interested newcomers, makes participation straightforward while clearly showcasing the organisation’s transparency.

Let's talk about it

By reorganising the site’s information flow, we crafted a narrative journey that guides users seamlessly from learning about FBF to actively engaging with its initiatives.

Collaboration with our client was central to the project, ensuring they were actively involved in all major decisions. One pivotal choice was to develop three primary templates to cover the main site levels, along with a few supplementary templates for specific needs. We categorised every page according to these templates, which streamlined the development process and established a clear structure for easier long-term website management.

Website 2.0

Our user-centric design process was built on collaboration and ongoing refinement. We held regular feedback sessions and interactive workshops with our client, ensuring their input shaped key decisions throughout the project. Multiple rounds of testing and iteration were conducted, involving both previous interview participants and industry experts, to keep user needs at the heart of our design principles. By engaging real users and experts at different stages, we were able to gather diverse perspectives and continuously improve the website experience.

User interviews revealed a recurring sentiment: “Okay. Now I understand what they are doing… but so what? It didn’t touch my heart.” This feedback exposed a critical gap. The website delivered information, but failed to foster an emotional connection with its audience. Users felt informed, yet remained disengaged.

To address this, we prioritised storytelling as a core design strategy. We shifted to a first-person narrative tone to make the organisation’s mission feel more personal and relatable. We also visualised key data and statistics, and highlighted authentic experiences from current users, all of which are proven techniques for building emotional engagement and long-term loyalty. Additionally, we reorganized the information architecture and menu hierarchy around our core audiences, ensuring a clear and purposeful user journey. This approach helped transform dry facts into meaningful stories, guiding users from understanding FBF’s work to feeling inspired to take action.

We shipped

To ensure brand consistency, we utilised existing assets from FBF’s brand book, originally developed by their previous design agency. However, when we discovered a lack of suitable photographs and illustrations for the website, our team stepped in to fill this gap by creating custom illustrations. These tailored visuals not only maintained a cohesive brand identity but also enhanced the site’s visual appeal and user engagement.

Rubik

Open Sans

REFLECTION That's a wrap!

Designing for social impact requires a deep understanding of the complex challenges organisation face and a commitment to putting the needs of users at the heart of the design process. As designers, we have a responsibility to consider the broader impact of our work and use our skills and expertise to create solutions that make a positive difference in the world. The FBF website redesign project shows as a powerful reminder of the role that human-centered design can play in advancing important social causes and driving progress toward a more just and equitable future.

​​​​​​​​​Just like every project, it was such a journey. Among the many things, I want to recap few key takeaways. First, interview matters. It is always great opportunity to hear from users about their expectations, needs and even emotional feelings. User interview was core in our research phase and it helped us to answer our initial hypothesis. Second, don’t overlook classic methods. Often user persona, cart sorting activity are overlooked. Our user personas and information architecture mapping were centre throughout the project, ensuring us focused on addressing our user’s needs and expectations. Third, bringing users and clients into our process. We had several co-creative workshops to understand better and to gather users expectations. It includes ‘sacrificial concepts’, ‘ideations’ and ‘design sprint’. And we had many rounds of quick testing & iteration and feedback sessions while we were designing. This obviously helped us to keep user in centre of our design principle. Lastly, storytelling. I am simply putting what our user said.

“FOR THEM IT IS OBVIOUS… IS GIVEN…, BUT NOT FOR NORMAL PEOPLE LIKE ME. IT IS ALL ABOUT A STORYTELLING!”