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Designing "Project Feed Page" to Increase User Engagement on the BRIDGEGOOD Platform

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

3 Designers

Tools

Figma, Miro, Pen & Paper

Duration

1 Week

1Research
2Define
3Ideate
4Test & Iterate
5Design

About

BRIDGEGOOD is a nonprofit design studio primarily funded by Google.org to empower designers through hands-on, inclusive design education.

The organization is committed to helping underrepresented designers launch their careers in design and tech, offering hands-on learning experiences with a focus on diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility.

BRIDGEGOOD team Zoom call

Problem Statement

One of the biggest concerns for BRIDGEGOOD product owners was the low user engagement after account creation. While many users enjoyed the platform's features, they struggled to stay connected.

The users expressed:

The lack of engagement negatively impacted their overall experience. After gathering similar insights from both product owners and users, we defined our problem statement: "Although many users take advantage of features like portfolios and free events, they struggle to build meaningful connections."

Research

Design Timeline

Over the course of 6 days, I collaborated closely with 3 UX designers in an intensive design sprint, rapidly ideating, prototyping, and refining solutions to tackle the project's core challenges.

To better understand the challenges within the organization and website, we had a lightning talk with program leads and stakeholders. We found out that most users learn about the platform through BRIDGEGOOD staff who visit classrooms to connect with students. However, most users stop engaging with the platform after uploading a few projects to their portfolios. The few users who stay engaged do so through in-person or Zoom workshops with the organization. More importantly, many users seem to struggle with finding ways to stay involved or make meaningful connections after their initial use, causing a drop in platform activity.

6-day design sprint timeline

Interview

We conducted 6 user interviews with new and existing BRIDGEGOOD users to understand what they value and where they encounter challenges. Using an 8 question interview guide, we focused on users' motivations and expectations. Below are the key insights.

During the research phase of the project, we conducted 6 user interviews with new and current BRIDGEGOOD users to understand what users enjoy about the platform as well as their common pain points. Together with the team, we prepared an interview script with 8 open-ended questions, focusing on our target audience's values, motivations, and business expectations. Here are the key findings after the research:

Lack of Ongoing Engagement Opportunities

Users enjoyed the platform's features but struggled to stay engaged after setting up their portfolios, wanting more ways to interact regularly.

Desire for Meaningful Connections and Feedback

Users found it difficult to connect with peers who could provide valuable feedback and insights.

Limited Community Interaction

The lack of interactive features made it hard for users to feel part of a creative community, making it difficult to build connections and stay motivated.

Define

Persona

To better understand user goals and behaviors, we created our user persona, Amara, based on interview insights, and refined it as new data emerged. This persona helped keep the team aligned and focused on real user needs throughout the project.

User persona: Amara

User Journey

We mapped the end-to-end journey of BRIDGEGOOD creators, from building and sharing portfolios to connecting with peers, mentors, and feedback opportunities. This process helped us understand how users interact with the platform and identify key areas for improvement.

BRIDGEGOOD user journey map

Define

To uncover opportunities and translate user insights into actionable design challenges, we developed several "How might we" statements.

How might we statements

Information Architect

With a clear understanding of the user's needs, our team created a site map to visualize the hierarchy of information and how users navigate to the project feed page.

Information architecture site map
Ideate

Sketch & Wireframes

We collaborated as a team to rapidly generate ideas and used dot voting to prioritize them. The strongest concepts were then translated into wireframes.

Team sketches and wireframes from the ideation session
Test & Iterate

User Testing

6 current users were interviewed to gather feedback on 2 primary layout options: a grid layout and a single-column layout.

Remote user testing session on Zoom

Main Findings

Solutions

Users have difficulty finding new projects that have been uploaded to the platform.

After logging in, users were brought to the project feed page instead of their own dashboard.

Users are sometimes unsure about what feedback to provide on someone else's work.

Rating with pre-filled content was added, along with an "Add Comment" feature so users can write more personalized messages.

Users would like to see activities from other creators as well and make more meaningful connections.

Two sections were created: activities such as events, workshops, and following other creators.

Users prefer to see more projects in one scroll.

Two layout versions were created: single-column and grid layout. Users preferred the grid layout as it allowed them to see more projects with one scroll.

Design

UI Design

After conducting research, brainstorming, and sketching, we decided to focus on designing 3 core pages:

Project Feed Page

The Explore tab highlights new projects, VIP events, and recent community activity. Users can quickly see friends' work, react with likes and comments, and discover new creators to connect.

Explore TabUsers will be taken to the project feed page after logging into their account instead of their portfolio dashboard. They will have the opportunity to see newly added projects from other creators, creating more opportunities to engage with the platform and interact with other creators' work.
VIP Events & Recent ActivityThe VIP events and recent activity section was moved to the top of the page after user testing. Users can see what events their friends or other creators are attending, making it easier for them to join. The recent activity section shows other BG community activities, giving users a chance to expand their network, follow other creators, and build meaningful connections.

Project Feed Page

The People You Follow section shows friends' recent work in a grid layout, while love, comment, and discover features let users react to projects and connect with new creators.

People You FollowThe People You Follow section displays users' friends' recent works. Users preferred a grid layout over a single-column layout as it allows them to see more projects with one scroll.
Love & CommentUsers can directly react to other creators' projects with likes and comments.
DiscoverUsers can make new connections and learn about other creators.

VIP Events

VIP Events lets users view event details and join events with a single click.

VIP EventsUsers can quickly see key details like date, time, location, and attendees to engage with relevant events.

Project Feed Page

Feedback on Project displays project details in a pop-up, allowing users to follow or message the creator, rate strengths like colors and layout, and leave detailed comments to encourage engagement.

Feedback on ProjectAfter clicking on a project card, a pop-up appears displaying project details such as the name, creator, description, and feedback from other users. Users can also follow or message the creator through this page, encouraging more engagement.
Other creators can rate the project's strengths, such as colors, layout, etc allowing users to quickly and easily provide feedback. Additionally, they can write more detailed, personalized comments if they choose to.

Impact & Metrics

More than 7,000 students from 51 Bay Area schools are now showcasing their work on the platform, enhancing their visibility and attracting potential employers, making a substantial impact on underrepresented creatives.

23% Boost

Platform engagement within 2 months of the redesign.

18% Increase

User sign-ups and portfolio creations.

15% Rise

User satisfaction, as indicated by feedback surveys.

What I Learned

Designing BRIDGEGOOD required early stakeholder involvement, ongoing user testing, and close collaboration with engineers to ensure technical feasibility. Working within a one-week timeline pushed us to adopt a lean approach focused on prioritization, rapid validation, and continuous feedback.

Early Feedback

Engaging stakeholders early and testing with users helped refine the design and improve the overall experience.

Real-World Constraints

Designing for BRIDGEGOOD meant considering technical limits and working closely with engineers to ensure feasibility.

Rapid Design

Designing a feature in just one week meant taking a lean approach; prioritizing the most important functionality, testing ideas quickly, and iterating based on feedback.

Next Steps

Ongoing user testing and post-launch feedback to identify pain points, measure engagement, and inform feature improvements.

Next steps roadmap

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