In a three-week collaboration with one other designer and a developer, we worked closely with the founder of Fems in STEM to transform their website to boost donations and membership. We designed four key pages—About Us, Support Us, Become a Member, and Get Involved—with a focus on intuitive navigation and clear calls to action. I led the design of a simplified donation flow, About, and Get Involved pages to encourage user engagement. We also integrated privacy policy pages to foster trust, crucial for nonprofit interactions. Through iterative feedback and agile development, we deployed responsive updates that significantly improved usability. Our work directly increased Fems in STEM's ability to gather donations and expand their community, helping the organization further its mission of empowering women in STEM.
Company:
Fems in STEM
My Role:
UX/UI Designer
Year:
2025
Work Done:
UX Research, UX/UI, Web Design
Lack of Clear Mission, Engagement Paths, and Donation Access
The original Fems in STEM website primarily focused on online publications, with articles categorized under multiple navigation links—such as Entrepreneur Stories, Contributor Articles, and Career Insights. However, there were no dedicated pages outlining the organization's mission, values, or impact, making it difficult for users to understand Fems in STEM's purpose. Most critically, there was no clear way for users to donate, limiting the nonprofit’s ability to receive support. The fragmented navigation and lack of structured content made it challenging for users to engage with the organization or take meaningful action.
Improving Navigation & Streamlining User Engagement
After gathering some inspiration from other non-profit websites, our team concluded that we needed to design not only a page to be able to make donations, but also the following pages:
About Us - describing company mission, values, and story.
Get Involved Page - a page dedicated to consolidating all of Fems in STEM's social media pages, whatsapp groups, mentorship sign up forms, and all the other ways users can get involved with the non-profit in one space.
Become a Member Page - where user's can submit a form to request to be a part of the Fems in STEM community.
Support Us Page - this is the page where user's can make a donation.
Our team also added the Explore tab in the navigation bar to consolidate all of the articles and publications from the original website, within separate links grouped by topic (i.e Entrepreneurs, Contributors, Career Insights, Education, and Miscellaneous).
Overcoming Design and Communication Challenges
Consolidating Engagement Pathways.
Challenge: Gathering and organizing various engagement pathways—social media, mentorship sign-ups, WhatsApp groups—into a single, accessible space.
Solution: We worked closely with the client to integrate these pathways into a streamlined Get Involved page, simplifying user access to all engagement opportunities.Balancing Client Wants with Design Principles.
Challenge: The client’s requests occasionally conflicted with best design practices for user experience.
Solution: We advocated for user-centered solutions by explaining how certain design elements would enhance usability, ultimately aligning business goals with effective design principles.Modernizing Design While Retaining Brand Identity.
Challenge: Updating the site’s design to be more user-friendly without straying from Fems in STEM’s established branding.
Solution: We preserved key branding elements while incorporating modern, streamlined design features to enhance usability without compromising the brand’s identity.Managing Client Communication & Expectations.
Challenge: Ensuring consistent, clear communication to keep the client aligned with the design process.
Solution: Regular check-ins and clear feedback loops allowed us to adjust and refine our work while maintaining alignment and meeting the client’s expectations.
Empowering Fems in STEM: Boosting Donations and User Engagement
By redesigning the Fems in STEM website, our team created a more intuitive and engaging experience that directly supports the organization’s growth. The new Support Us page provides a clear and accessible way for users to donate, helping to drive contributions essential to Fems in STEM’s mission. The Become a Member page streamlines the process of joining the community, fostering stronger engagement. Additionally, consolidating resources under the Get Involved and Explore sections improved usability, making it easier for visitors to navigate opportunities and access valuable content.
Key Takeaways
This project reinforced the importance of balancing clear navigation, trust-building elements, and user-centered design in the nonprofit space. By collaborating closely with the founder, iterating based on feedback, and implementing strategic improvements, we successfully transformed Fems in STEM’s digital presence—empowering them to expand their reach and impact.
