I joined the HBCUv project on the second phase after the initial research and branding exploration was complete. I lead a team of UX and UI designers to design and test the MVP features for the HBCUv Portal.
- Role: Lead Associate Creative Director
- Time frame: July 2023 - May 2024
- Tools: Figma, Jira
HBCUs are integral to the social fabric of America, creating opportunities for socio-economic mobility for generations of first-time Black college students. HBCUs have discovered a winning formula that’s effective at educating first-generation students, creating an outsized impact on underserved communities for centuries.
COVID created unprecedented challenges for all of higher education, but these were more pronounced at HBCUs because they lack the digital infrastructure to offer online degrees. The conditions were ripe for UNCF and Deloitte Digital to partner together to lead systemic change and advance equity in education.The challenge became: How might we capture, amplify, and share the “secret sauce” of a transformative HBCU education in order to advance accessibility and equity in online learning, instruction, and degree granting for the industry as a whole?
To understand the HBCU experience, the needs & pain-points of students, faculty, and administrators, Applied Design executed a rigorous ethnographic research plan grounded in Equity-Centered Design principles.A collaborative process that invites community members to the table to actively participate in the design process from the start, ECD limits assumptions and biases by increasing representation in the co-creation process.
The future state of the platform, as well as the characteristics that ensure it’s essence, authenticity, and relevance to HBCUs were summarized in a concept wheel. The concept wheel consists of 14 design concepts informed by the needs of students, faculty, and administrators across multiple institutions.
A separate team of brand designers developed an identity that stayed true to the roots of HBCUv. The logo, colors palette, typography and imagery choices were informed by HBCU culture & UNCF heritage. A brand book documenting brand guidelines was developed to preserve the integrity of the identity.
Our team of product designers and product managers created multiple concepts which were run by students and faculty. We determined that an all encompassing web portal that included not only education, but social and community building features would provide the most value to users. With this knowledge we defined the technology stack as well as the product roadmap for MVP, with a plan for enhancements coming across multiple roll-outs.
After the initial vision was defined, the design team got to work on developing the wireframes and prototypes for the MVP screens. UI followed closely on sprint behind UX to develop the website component based on the brand style established earlier on the process.
We then brought the designs to current HBCU students from different institutions to gather their feedback and implement enhancements based on the learning.
A Yard for all HBCUs, this dynamic feed represents the “organized chaos” of physical campus Yards. It’s a space that coheres the community. Members can stumble upon exciting new events, news, connections, groups & inspirational content across all of HBCUv.
A hub of resources that harnesses the collective genius of our institutions, and provides students with academic, financial, professional, and mental health resources to help them navigate their HBCU journey.
A Yard for all HBCUs, this dynamic feed represents the “organized chaos” of physical campus Yards. It’s a space that coheres the community. Members can stumble upon exciting new events, news, connections, groups & inspirational content across all of HBCUv.
A hub dedicated to Black Excellence, the Course Catalog brings together courses from across our institutions, providing students flexible learning options to fulfill major requirements.
