The Women’s All Points Bulletin (WAPB) was established with the goal of advocating for women who have experienced unjust violence at the hands of the police. Their website consisted of singular page that hosted their logo, and the links to inactive social media accounts.
Through our CSS397 class at DePaul University we were able to work with Crista Noel, a representative from the WAPB to produce a website that not only displayed up to date and relevant information, but one that was user-friendly as well.
As the lead designer and developer for the WAPB website refresh, I spearheaded the redesign process by setting a clear direction for the wireframes that defined the vision for the final product. In addition, I used WordPress and Elementor to provide a user-friendly site for Crtista, while also making sure the WAPB had all means to update and further develop the site in the future.
Our design process spanned over a ten-week timeline. The first three weeks were spent getting to know our community partner and developing a Needs Analysis. The next two weeks were devoted to a Requirements Document. The last five weeks were when the bulk of the web development began, including wire-framing, user testing, and consultations with our community partner.
When developing our Requirements Document we paid close attention to the topics we had covered in our meetings with Crista, and focused on highlighting specific design solutions to the problems she had expressed. In addition, we proposed some general ideas to increase the usability of the website, including playlists and interactive elements.
Upon consistent consultation with our community partner, we were set to focus on ensuring that two pages were live by the end of our timeline. The Homepage and About Us page were the most important to Crista, as the website was meant to serve as a space to spread the word about the WAPB.
Our primary goal for users was to provide a safe and supportive space for women who have been affected by police violence. We aimed to not only raise awareness of our organization but also to foster a sense of empathy and understanding regarding the WAPB’s mission.
For the vast majority of this project we were communicating not only with Crista Noel from the WAPB, but also with a team from Turbify, where the website was hosted with WordPress. Our key takeaway is that emphasis on communication during this project was crucial to its success. The focus on timelines and deliverables strongly aided to the development as well.