WashMasks
AKA: Accessibility, UX, and branding walk into a bar...
Mutual Aid | Farmworker Justice
The Vision
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Optimize the WashMasks website to create ease of use and drive interest in volunteers and donations
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Focus on creating accessibility for Spanish-speaking users with full-scale Spanish translation
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Align aesthetics with UX design choices
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Create stronger CTAs at key moments on site
The Challenge
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Coordinating with Spanish translators to ensure all touch points were hit
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Determining usability for three different audiences: Potential volunteers, potential organizational partnerships, and farmworkers
My Role
UX writer, copywriter, content strategist, project coordinator
Top bar colors did not align with brand and were hard to read.
Elements were improperly laid out and too much text overwhelms the eye.
Confusion between homepage "about" and other "about" page. Old about page had this irrelevant, outdated drive graphic.
Top bar colors did not align with brand and were hard to read.
The Process
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Clarified and documented brand style guide, including aesthetics and voice
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Coordinated with a graphic designer, a copywriter, and the organization's head to work through different user experience scenarios
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Sourced translators and facilitated a timely process of translation across all touch points
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Tested usability with multiple user personas and iterated as needed
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Created a new FAQ tab upon community feedback to include "names and faces" and a list of community partners
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Removed unnecessary pages and reorganized information architecture to support WashMasks' goals of driving more volunteer interest, donations, and accessibility
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Ended the process with a strategic plan in place to update the site as needed to support communication of new drives, donation events, and other community efforts
Colors align with branding and create a cohesive aesthetic.
Goal moves directly into CTAs rather than the long, complicated mask pattern that was there before.
Spanish translations continue throughout the site.
Colors align with branding and create a cohesive aesthetic.
The Outcome
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Since the relaunch, WashMasks has seen:
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Approximately 30% more drivers to take donations across Washington State
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Increased attendance at WashMasks community meetings
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An increase in perceived authority and legitimacy, which resulted in:
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The ability to go on farm site visits
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Invitations to farmworker community meetings
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Approval to launch a new pilot project to help farmworkers stay cool and healthy during intense heat waves
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A 40% increase in volunteer interest
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Growth Moment
This project is one of many projects I have and will take on with WashMasks. As a leader on the Communications Team, I have enjoyed growing in my ability to facilitate projects from ideation to completion. In addition, I've been able to expand my working knowledge of what it takes to provide an accessible user experience.