BLACKBIRDSIO, INC
"Blackbird" is a song by the Beatles that speaks to the liberation and struggles of Black women. Malcolm X said the most disrespected, unprotected, and neglected woman in America is the Black woman. The soul of a nation lies in its women; and Black women have always been at the heart of our movement for true liberation. I am a Black woman and the tool I'm hoping to use to help in the struggle for racial equality and balance in America is my technology platform -- BlackBirds.
By Tracy Michelle CEO and Founder, BlackBirdsIO, Inc.
Final Products
When I offered myself as a volunteer for this project I was asked to redesign the actual website. The intention of my client was to first approach users to explain what BlackBirdsIO does and how the company wants to educate people in politics giving users the opportunity to understand the voting system. As a way to gather users my client designed a survey for users. Those who visit the website will be invited to the survey and BlackBirdsIO will get some insight into how communities are perceiving the political system in the United States. My role in this project was to redesign the initial part of the project (website) that my client has in mind to develop in the future with her main products.
Responsive Design
The challenge
UI treatment for my client's current website to approach users and educate them about politics as a way of technology activism.
The Problem
During the protests for George Floyd, it seemed like racial advocacy groups weren't able to create their demands for justice fast enough.
They didn't seem to have technology tools that would harness data to give weight to what they were trying to accomplish.
There was too much speculation and emotion. People can fight for justice in many ways. Some people protest, others rally, some do sit-ins. That's why we need a way to educate our community and raise their voices through technology.
User Persona
The User persona that BlackBirdsIO wants to approach are citizens who are not educated enough about the political system. The company wants to create digital products that allow people to explore, understand and keep up to date about political topics that matter today for the future of our country, our communities and future generations.
User Journey
According to my client's needs and the way that she wanted to approach their users I created the user flow below to explain my client's goal.
Moodboard
Understanding that my main goal was to redesign the website for BlackBirdsIO I've decided to get some inspiration by designing a Moodboard that represents my initial idea that later on in my design process I will incorporate. This Moodboard speaks to some of the goals of the company.
Activism, Human Rights, Tech Education, Support, Voting.
Wireframes
Once I met my client and I was able to explore more about her needs and goals I designed the Low Fidelity Wireframes, basing those on the user flow described above. I articulated each section with the main objective and provided easy to read and organized wireframes, looking for a balance between the elements provided by the CEO of the company.
Feedback and Iterations
During this phase of the process I was able to get feedback from my client through comments on my Figma file so that way I was able to make the iterations required.
Design System
Once I received the feedback from my client and her team and iterations were made, my client gave the green light to move forward with High Fidelity wireframes. However to continue my process I needed to carefully choose the color palette, icons, imagery and fonts that I was going to use on the High fidelity Wireframes. The colors chosen are part of the brand of the company.
The logo presented during this case study was created by me but is not a final logo. At the time that I started this project somebody else was working on that specific area.
High Fidelity Wireframes
In this phase I was able to apply UI elements, colors, photography, iconography and fonts. These elements are crucial during the process because they will give life to the wireframes, making them look realistic, and giving users a close idea of how the website will look.
Feedback and Iterations
I was able to get feedback from my client through comments on my Figma file and also during our meetings to make iterations, mostly on body content and the use of the photography.
Final Deliverable
BlackBirdsIO has an interesting project that without a doubt will help communities to be educated in topics that matter to people. It was a pleasure working with Tracy to help her to build a site that will allow her to grow her company and will allow people to understand how politics works in The United States of America.
Thank You :)