Taking on Transformation
An interactive guide on how to transform youth justice.
2021 – 2023 · COLUMBIA JUSTICE LAB · WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT / CONTENT STRATEGY
Taking on Transformation is a multimedia project that provides a resource for system leaders looking to push transformation of youth justice system, as well as other stakeholders who either have decision-making power or are hoping to influence those who do.
Scope of Work
I worked with Columbia Justice Lab to design and build this complex, engaging, interactive website that serves as a hub and catalyst for change. The idea behind it came from a desire to take the comprehensive and dense Desk Guide publication (a 500+ page publication written for system leaders) and break it down into an accessible, digestible, and engaging multimedia experience that anyone can access, reference, and learn from, as well as serving as a kind of campaign website companion to the publication.
So, the user experience design of the website aims to make Taking on Transformation a multifaceted website that takes the form of (1) a campaign site with calls to action to transform youth justice, (2) a multimedia e-learning platform with engaging multimedia content, including webinars, interactive topic pages, and curated learning journeys, and (3) a hub of helpful resources and toolkits change-makers can bookmark and reference as they take on transforming youth justice.
My Role
Web Design & Development
Digital Content Strategy
Multimedia Production/Strategy
Copy Writing & Strategy
Visual Identity Design
Digital Marketing Design
SEO
Project Management
Alexander Schneider, Senior Project Manager,
Columbia Justice Lab
Disclaimer: The site is still in the process of being completed, so there may be bugs and mistakes as we work on quality assurance issues before launch.
KICKOFF WORKSHOP · FEB. 2022THE MAGIC SESSION
In February 2022, I designed and facilitated a two-part virtual whiteboarding workshop on Miro for the directors, editorial staff, and project manager of the Youth Justice Initiatives team at Columbia Justice Lab as part of the discovery process for the website design of the Taking on Transformation project. We workshopped and refined target users (such as corrections leaders and advocacy leaders), developed user personas for them, and sketched lo-fi wireframes around these personas for what participants desired in a website.
The discussions, user personas, and sketches from the workshop directly informed the design of higher fidelity wireframes and the content strategy for the website. My aim was to make this workshop as engaging and as playful as possible to ensure that participants remained fully engaged and active throughout the process. And I guess I was successful because after the workshop ended, one of the initiative directors exclaimed “Man, this is the most fun I’ve ever had at a meeting!” And that made me so happy.
THE ITERATION PROCESS
HOMEPAGE LO-FI PROTOTYPE
INITIAL SKETCH
INITIAL LO-FI WIREFRAMES
HI-FI HOMEPAGE PROTOTYPE
LO-FI TOPIC PROFILE PAGE PROTOTYPE
HI-FI TOPIC PROFILE PAGE PROTOTYPE
HOMEPAGE INTERACTIVE DESIGN
THE CASE FOR TRANSFORMATION PAGE | HORIZONTAL SCROLL DESIGN
TOPIC PAGE DESIGN & BOOKMARKING FEATURE
DIGITAL GALLERY PAGE DESIGN FEAT. YOUTH ART
MEDIA LIBRARY & FAVORITING FUNCTION
WEBINAR PLATFORM DESIGN
(ALMOST) FINAL PRODUCT
Because this is an ongoing project, ongoing changes are of course to be expected here and there as we work on finalizing and wrapping up the project. But, below are captures of the site from July 2023, though stylistic changes may have been made since. To experience the full up-to-date site, visit the website.
WATCH WEBSITE PROMO
PRODUCED BY JACK DURAN