Sankofa Healing

Bringing the essence of a healing studio
into the website

Role:
Information Architect
‍UX Research
UI Design

Key Methods:
Research
Information architecture
Findability study
Content audit
SEO
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability testing

Problem:
Sankofa healing studio is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. They specialized in providing social justice-informed therapy, serving under-resourced youth and adults who are trauma-impacted. Sankofa has focused on a holistic approach toward treatment to disrupt the development of repeated and intergenerational trauma. However, the website of the organization does not reflect the pure essence of the studio.

How might we help users understand the entire process and schedule an appointment seamlessly using website?

Solution:
The main outcome of the project was a responsive web prototype with element-level interactivity. As a design solution that is scheduled to be developed and put to market, we made sure that users would never have any problems while booking an appointment. All deliverables were designed to allow Sankofa Healing Studio to expand on its website with visual and structural cohesion. The main goal of the project is to improve the usability and Information architecture of the existing website.
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Introducing Sankofa

Sankofa healing studio is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, specializing in providing social justice-informed therapy, serving under-resourced youth and adults who are trauma-impacted. Sankofa has focused on a holisticapproach toward treatment to disrupt the development of repeated and intergenerational trauma.

Findability study

We did the Findability study for Sankofa’s website for the Main navigation using BananaTest. Two participants were asked to find two pieces of information from the tree test setup which comprised the top navigation menu of the Sankofa website, Out of which, two of them failed to accomplish the tasks

Stakeholder interviews

Then, we did Stakeholder interviews. After talking to them, we got a brief idea of problem spaces and what is really required to make the process easier.

Their pain points

“The User experience is horrible”. According to the founder, there is a major flaw while requesting an appointment and most of the users found it really difficult to gather the required information and book. Since the website was created using GoDaddy, they’re stuck and not sure how to resolve these issues.
“There is not enough reach”. There are lots of events, workshops, and training happening every week and none of that is on the website and users are not aware of it. They have a Facebook group connecting many therapists but it’s not mentioned anywhere on the site and they’re not sure how to keep track.
“Misconnection between what’s happening and what’s on the website”. The website doesn’t disclose everything that the studio has to offer. Mainly the description of each type of therapy is not doing any justice compared to the experience of it.

Target audience

After this, we evaluated our Target audience so we can adhere to their requirements. They are marginalized youth and adults who are trauma-impacted and system involved.
01 | Girls who are criminalized in the education system.
02 | Mothers who are in a mental health crisis.
03 | Families who are affected by mass incarceration.
04 | Victimized black communities.

The User segment consists of mostly Black people out of which the majority have an education until 11th grade with a reading level of 4th grade.

Interview Findings

After making the user profile, we delved deeper into possible value creation for both our users and stakeholders. We found that facilitating a means for more meaningful interaction between customers and associates while reducing the uncertainty of booking an appointment in a simple and easy way is most valuable. To properly understand the thoughts and pain points of this process, we made a User Journey map

Final Prototypes

Before vs After

Finale

1) Use what is already there. Design solutions change with changing times and user’s mindsets. Making good use of what is already there and designing solutions will make the process easy.
‍2) Leverage the client’s expertise. The client's time is valuable. It's important to learn as much as we can within the limited time we have with them. This includes their understanding of the problem space and what success looks like to them.
‍3) Creative methods can bring clarity to any ambiguity. The client's time is valuable. It's important to learn as much as we can within the limited time we have with them. This includes their understanding of the problem space and what success looks like to them.

Here’s a shout out to my amazing team, whom without, this project wouldn’t have been as enjoyable, stimulating, and impactful. As well as a big thank you to Founders and clinicians of Sankofa Healing Studio for helping us.