This case study focuses on our process of turning SLA into an organization that would be taken seriously by investors, eventually grossing over 50k in grant funding and enabling it to advance its mission. Through meetings with the board members, the founder, and other stakeholders, we were able to turn SLA into a standout organization with collaborations with Disney, sports teams, and various government sectors. Recently, SLA was named one of the top startups in South Florida. View Site

This year, 2016, was when I first got introduced to interaction design and the user centered design process. I had started implementing it in all of my projects, even non-UX ones like this, because I saw its value and wanted to work on UX projects one day. The design thinking process was a loose reference I used that helped me guide the project from start to finish, and elevated this role from just a rote graphic designer to a creative problem solver in the form of creative director.

We now needed to define a goal for the project and then understand it. After the meeting with founder it was clear: to create an identity that would reflect SLA. SLA aimed to be an organization that was empowering, and working with a younger demographic meant it could also reflect that with a more playful appearance. 

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Pain Points:

       •  SLA was a new organization and it was difficult to establish trust with potential business partners 

       •   SLA was having a hard time conveying its complex mission to outsiders and thus securing grant funding

Throughout this process, I would meet regularly with founder, sit in on events the organization was holding, and meet with the organization’s board of directors. I would get sent word documents with page after page of the organization’s plans and missions, and other word heavy materials related to SLA. The influx of information was overwhelming at times, but I took the time to sit down and sift through it. One day as I was doing this, I wondered how many other people had also received this information and felt the same way.

That’s when the second pain point become clear to me. SLA was having a hard time explaining its complex and multifaceted plan to lower gun violence by empowering at risk youth to outsiders. In a world of two minute elevator pitches and glitzy videos, its message was getting lost to potential supporters. 

Although the stakeholders hadn’t asked me to tackle this issue, it had become apparent during my work.

The solution I came up for this problem was simple: Using my visual design skills, I would translate the plentiful pages of word document text into infographic that would break each step down in an easy to follow format. I presented this idea to the founder, who was thrilled by the prospect of it.

This along with the corporate branding were the solutions to the problems the organization was facing. The branding would gave SLA a face so to speak, and that would build trust. These assets solved the first pain point that SLA had run into, and the reason why the founder had sook my help in the first place: establishing trust as a new organization within the public and private sector. 

Prototype​​​​​​​

Then it was time for me to put the infographic into motion. I brainstormed different ways to convey the information in visual format. I even took on a data visualization project to properly render a map that would show the exact places SLA was planning to target. This was not without its challenges but in the end resulted in a stunning hub of information on the organization. 

As an organization and not a digital product, the way to test our work was through the results. That first year, SLA was able to secure over five thousand in funding, which would enable it to continue for the next year. Each year this number would get bigger and bigger.

SLA was able to reach the lives of the young people they had intended to, putting on new after school programs and taking its existing operations to the next level. It was empowered to achieve its business goals.

There were a few key takeaways that I had from this project. It was a rewarding project to be a part of, and I saw firsthand the impact that my wok had had on the world. This empowered me the way the organization intended to empower its members, and I saw the value of the work I provided.