Product Design & Research
Braid
Redesigning a platform where social entrepreneurs share their stories — starting with figuring out why nobody understood what it was.
Context
What is Braid?
Braid is a storytelling platform for social entrepreneurs — people building businesses that tackle social problems. It started at the University of Michigan as PIT-KN (Public Interest Technology Knowledge Network), a place where founders could share the real highs and lows of their journeys.
The problem was that almost nobody knew that when they landed on the site. My role was to fix that.
The Problem
New users had no idea what this platform was for
When I joined the team, the homepage was vague. It talked about "knowledge networks" and "public interest technology" — terms that meant something to insiders but nothing to a first-time visitor.
I ran interviews with new users and kept hearing the same thing: they couldn't figure out what Braid actually was or why they should care. They'd land on the homepage, get confused, and leave.
"I grappled with understanding its purpose beyond being a mere 'knowledge network.'"
— User interview participant
Process
How I approached it
User interviews
Talked to 15+ community members and new visitors to understand what clicked and what didn't. The pattern was clear: people who stayed found value in the stories and community, but the homepage never surfaced that.
Competitive analysis
Looked at how other community platforms (Medium, Indie Hackers, On Deck) communicated their value. They led with stories and people, not abstract concepts.
Messaging and wireframes
Rewrote the homepage copy to lead with "Your Words. Your Story. Braid." and designed wireframes that surfaced real community content above the fold.
Logo redesign
Worked with the head of strategy to design a new logo inspired by the Ife knot — a West African symbol of community and gathering — to embody the platform's values.
Testing and iteration
Ran usability tests on prototypes, gathered feedback in weekly standups with engineers and marketers, and iterated until the team was aligned.
Outcome
The results
We shipped the redesigned homepage and new branding. Within a month, we saw real movement.
Beyond the numbers
The bigger win was alignment. Before the redesign, the team had different ideas about what Braid was supposed to be. The research and workshops forced us to articulate a shared vision — and the new homepage became the artifact that captured it.
What I learned
- First impressions matter more than features. If people don't understand what you are in 5 seconds, nothing else matters.
- User interactions at key points (like a homepage) have outsized impact on whether someone engages or bounces.
- Cross-functional collaboration isn't just nice to have — it's how you get to a streamlined product. Feedback from engineers, marketers, and strategy all shaped the final design.