Project description:
Over a semester, my team of software developers and UX researchers and I researched and built a website to
(1) Provide a database for prelaw resources
(2) Advertise upcoming events
(3) Give legitimacy to the club
13 weeks
UX Designer and Researcher in a Group
End to end UX Project
Website
The Problem :
First generation low-income prelaw students lack community and awareness of resources
Clubs like the First Generation Legal Collective students struggle to support first-generation low-income students (FGLI) in their prelaw journey. Underrepresented students are largely unaware of resources meant to aid them in their prelaw journey, such as pipeline programs. Additionally, students feel excluded from traditional prelaw clubs and activities due to the large time commitment and other factors.
The Solution :
An inclusive and informative website for FGLC
Research :
FGLI student’s limited time and representation hinders their success in law school placement
Ethnographic Interviews
By talking with current first-generation low-income prelaw students at Rice University, we began to understand that students did not have the time to commit to clubs like mock trials or unpaid work at law firms to build experience with the jobs they had to work to pay for college/living expenses.
White Paper Research
Through researching the problem space our team discovered that first-generation prelaw students typically spend 25% more time working for pay than their peers (leaving them with less time to engage in law school activities). Additionally we found that only 2% of students at the top 20 law schools come from the bottom socioeconomic quartile.
Link to Research Artifacts
Ideation:
Catering to prospective members
Emphasized upcoming events on the homepage.
Included a reach-out button below each affiliated FGLC member to foster mentorship.
Added brief descriptions of resource groups for optimal user understanding
Iteration and User Testing:
3 Main Changes
Darkened the color scheme to add more contrast
Made the buttons more prominent with a brighter shade of blue
Created “resource cards” to reduce scroll time and increase visual distinction between different sets of resources
Final Design:
Figma Prototype
Design System Preview
Reflection:
Main Challenges and Next Steps
Lessons Learned: My team’s work in creating the website for the First Generation Legal Collective was rewarding and eye-opening. By working with developers on the real implementation of my designs, I was challenged to critically consider the feasibility of my designs and make compromises for the website. Additionally, ensuring that the website would be kept up to date while working within the limited technical proficiency of the club’s leadership pushed my team of developers and me to consider easy ways to update the website.
Next Steps: Once the website’s bugs are worked out, comparing the club’s attendance before and after the website launches would be a helpful metric to understand if the event information is clear enough for existing and prospective members. Additionally, advertising the website by the club will help ensure that the website can reach its target users and be a resource to FGLI students.
Check out more case studies below or reach out to me at willeingersoll@gmail.com. Thanks for reading :)
More of my work:
Pigee Application Portal
A portal built to help Pigee expand its sales force and streamline the application process.
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Dietary Restrictions for Google Maps
New features that aim to solve key dietary restricted user needs on Google Maps.
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© Will Ingersoll 2024