Instructional Design · UX Research · Public Interest Tech

Braid

I directed learning and UX research across 100+ community members, synthesized it into a shared articulation of purpose, and translated it into a redesign that lifted new sign-ups 40%.

RoleInstructional Designer & Product Designer
OrgPublic Interest Tech Knowledge Network
Result+40% new sign-ups
Scope100+ stakeholder synthesis
TimelineJan 2023 – May 2024

The Problem

A community that couldn't say what it was.

Braid is a knowledge network in public interest technology — a community of academics, technologists, and public servants. The platform had members and value, but its purpose was diffuse. New visitors couldn't quickly grasp what Braid was for or why they belonged, and sign-up conversion suffered for it.

You can't redesign your way out of a problem you haven't articulated.

The redesign couldn't start with pixels. It had to start with synthesis — turning what 100+ very different stakeholders believed Braid was into a single, shared articulation the whole organization could build against.

My Process

Research, synthesis, redesign.

01

Generative & evaluative research

I directed research operations across 100+ diverse stakeholders — academics, technologists, and public partners — synthesizing qualitative data into a centralized insight repository structured for non-technical partners to use in curriculum and product decisions.

02

Synthesis workshops

I facilitated 5+ cross-functional synthesis workshops applying instructional design principles to move a room of competing perspectives toward a single shared articulation of product purpose. That alignment is what made the redesign possible.

Figma brainstorming — design explorations and direction notes for the Braid redesign

Design explorations — three homepage directions explored alongside messaging and brand hierarchy decisions.

03

Prototype, test, ship

High-fidelity Figma prototypes, usability testing with first-time visitors and existing members, engineering handoff and iteration. The visual identity was rebuilt from scratch — including a new brand mark drawn from the West African Ife knot, embedding the community's roots into the identity rather than decorating around it.

Before
Original Braid homepage — Public Interest Technology Knowledge Network branding
After
Redesigned Braid homepage — Storyteller Welcome to Braid

Before → After. Same product, different story — the redesign led with who the community is for, not what it is.

Logo evolution — from Public Interest Technology Knowledge Network through Ife knot-inspired Braid mark

Logo evolution — from the original mark through the Ife knot-inspired final Braid identity.

Results

Alignment became a number.

The shared articulation of purpose drove a homepage and identity redesign that produced a measurable lift in conversion — proof that the research and synthesis work translated directly into outcomes the organization cared about.

+40%
New Sign-Ups
100+
Stakeholders Synthesized
5+
Synthesis Workshops
Instructional Design Generative Research Synthesis Facilitation Usability Testing Figma Brand Identity