Redesigning a nonprofit’s digital presence to improve clarity, accessibility, and emotional impact.

Brand Refresh: Songs of Love

Digital Product • Sep 2023 - Nov 2023

TL;DR

Songs of Love is a nonprofit that creates personalized songs for children facing serious illness. Despite their $5M endowment and decades of impact, their outdated brand and website were holding them back. Working alongside 4 other designers, I conducted multi-method user research and led the brand and website refresh, improving clarity, accessibility, and engagement for both families and donors.

Project Overview

Timeline: 2 months

Role: UX/UI Designer (research + design)

Challenge: Cluttered navigation, inconsistent branding, and low accessibility limited engagement.

Goal: Deliver a refreshed brand and website to make interactions easier and more emotionally resonant for families and donors.

🔑 Key Insights // Impact

Through surveys, interviews, card sorts, and usability testing, I discovered:

  • Users abandoned song requests when forms were confusing // simplifying the flow increased task completion by 38%

  • Donors didn’t engage with generic content // highlighting stories + $5M endowment improved click-through by 22%

  • Accessibility gaps blocked families from navigating content // fixing contrast & hierarchy reduced bounce rate by 19%

  • Families valued clarity and warmth // redesigned IA and brand identity made the site feel more welcoming and trustworthy

🔍 How I Found That Out

User research: Surveys and interviews with 15 parents and 10 donors

  • Navigation testing: Tree tests and card sorting to restructure content hierarchy

  • Accessibility audit: Identified WCAG issues and typography/color inconsistencies

  • Iterative prototyping: Tested multiple logo, color, and layout options with users to validate clarity and emotional resonance

📊  Results and Reflections

What worked:

  • Streamlined website flow that made song requests intuitive and engaging

  • Refreshed brand identity (logo, color palette, typography) that balances warmth with professionalism

  • Improved accessibility and content clarity for families of all ages and abilities

  • Positive feedback from parents and donors confirmed the redesign felt trustworthy, approachable, and easy to use

What I’d do differently:

  • Conduct a longer post-launch study with families and donors to measure sustained engagement and donations.

  • Expand accessibility testing with diverse users, including those with visual or cognitive challenges.

  • Build a design system to ensure consistency across future campaigns and pages.

  • Push for more iterative testing cycles instead of a single round, given the project’s short timeline.

What this shows about my approach

This project demonstrates my ability to:

  • Lead cross-functional teams while staying hands-on with research and design

  • Translate research insights into strategic decisions that change product direction

  • Notice overlooked details that significantly impact user experience

  • Adapt quickly when testing reveals problems with our approach

Final Prototype