Design by Sana

Currently supporting another Her Idea fellow.

I am currently a mentor for another Her Idea mentee who is doing a project about Youth nutrition. I have helped her with her outreach efforts and lended general design support.

Led two workshops to help mentees and youth learn about design and design as a career.

I recently led the Her Idea fellows through a Web Design workshop to teach them the fundamentals of web design and how they can create websites for their organizations. I also spoke at workshop a Her Idea mentee created for youth about making Design a career.

Helped mentee create a mural about climate change.

You can read more about it here. I helped support a Her Idea in the process of creating her organization to fight climate change and convey the effect of climate change through art and a public mural.

Impact

Continuing to support mentees

I am continuing to mentor students in Her Idea but here is what I have achieved so far:

Initial Designs

Design exploration

After completing the user interviews, I had a clear direction for the website redesign. I created a set of initial mockups to share with the Her Idea team for feedback and began user testing to validate key design decisions and gather early reactions.

Reflection

Key learnings

My experience with Her Idea has been incredibly meaningful. It’s deeply fulfilling to use my design skills to support a mission I care about, and I’m excited to stay involved moving forward. Looking back, here are a few key lessons I’ve learned along the way:

Next Steps

Staying involved

As Her Idea continues to grow and become an even better and more established organization, I continue to contribute and stay involved. Here are some of the next steps for me at Her Idea:

Help design and launch new mentorship platform.
Continue to support and mentor Her Idea fellows.
Plan and lead new workshops for mentees and general public.

NEXT STEPS

Mentorship

Supporting Her Idea Mentees

While working on the Her Idea website, I became involved with the mentorship program and have since mentored two students through their projects. I’ve also led web design workshops to help students build skills and gain confidence in bringing their ideas to life.

MENTORSHIP

Click here to see the website.

Final Design

Launching the website

After implementing the changes from user testing we were able to launch the website with the final design implemented.

User Testing

Best practices for implementation

I shared my initial designs with users to get their honest feedback on what was working and what felt confusing. Their input helped me spot areas that needed improvement and make the experience aligned with the Her Idea vision. Here were the main take aways.

Change the color scheme.

Some of the users, especially the older users had a hard time seeing the white on pink text.

Add fun design elements.

Since this website is supposed to appeal to students we want to make it fun and playful but strike a balance so it still appeals to adult stake holders as well.

Add more focus on past projects.

Showing past work that mentees have done can add more efficacy for the program and appeal to more potential partners.

Adding more design

The old website was barebones and didn't showcase the Her Idea mission and story.

Multiple user groups

We had to think about students, parents, mentors and partners when designing.

Readability makes a difference

The previous website's text was not descriptive and hard to read.

WEBSITE DESIGNS

User Interviews

Understanding our users

Before starting the design process, I conducted user interviews to better understand the needs and expectations of those using the Her Idea website—primarily high school students, mentors, and potential partners. These conversations helped me identify key pain points, motivations, and opportunities for improvement.

Here’s what I found:

What is Her Idea

Her Idea is a non-profit organization that empowers young women to advance their careers through real-world projects. Using a mentorship and cohort-based system, the organization supports high school students in creating impactful work, which they present at a final gala showcase event. I joined Her Idea after reaching out to the founder and volunteering to help redesign their website. Since then, I've also taken on a mentorship role, supporting students as they develop their projects.

Context

Tools:

Figma, WIX, Google Suites

Timeline:

June 2022 - Present (Ongoing)

Team:

Sana(Me): UX/UI consultant

Anna : Founder, Parys: Web Developer, Mentees

Impact:

Successfully designed & launched new website

Provided guided mentorship for 2 mentees

Her Idea

Empowering young women through real world projects.

Non - Profit

Mentorship

Desktop + Mobile

Solution

How Her Idea Works

Her Idea is a non-profit organization that empowers young women to launch real-world projects that make a lasting impact in their careers and communities. Through a structured, cohort-based program and a dedicated mentorship network, high school students receive the guidance, tools, and peer support they need to bring their ideas to life—whether it’s starting a business, leading a community initiative, or building a creative project they can continue beyond the program.

The Problem

Getting started is hard

Young women often face systemic barriers to advancing in their careers, beginning as early as high school.

There’s a clear gap between ambition and action. Many young women have the drive—but not the resources, confidence, or guidance—to take the first step.

There is an interest but not enough guidance.

Many young women aspire to launch projects, businesses, or creative initiatives, getting started can feel overwhelming without the right support. According to a 2023 Girls Who Code report, only 19% of entry-level tech roles are held by women, and over 60% of high school girls express interest in leadership or entrepreneurship—yet few have access to hands-on opportunities or mentorship to pursue those goals.

There is an interest but not enough guidance.

Not enough exposure to mentorship.

The challenge is not a lack of ambition, but a lack of access. A recent National Bureau of Economic Research study found that early exposure to mentorship and project-based learning significantly boosts confidence and long-term career outcomes for young women. Yet, only 37% of girls in the U.S. report having a mentor, and just one in three say they feel prepared to take on real-world challenges after high school.

Not enough exposure to mentorship.

Redesigning the website - conducting user testing + making design iterations.

Mentoring and supporting Her Idea mentees in their projects and goals.

Speaking and helping to conduct web design workshops for mentees.

Redesigning the website - conducting user testing + making design iterations.

Mentoring and supporting Her Idea mentees in their projects and goals.

Speaking and helping to conduct web design workshops for mentees.

My Role

Designing and mentoring at Her Idea

I joined Her Idea as a volunteer to redesign their website and worked closely with the founder to lead the project. I conducted user interviews, created mockups, and collaborated with a developer to bring the new site to life. As I got more involved, I became a mentor and now also help lead workshops for high school students in the program.

Key responsibilities:

NEXT PROJECT