Better Reentry
Website Design
About the Client
The client, Center for Employment Opportunities is a non-profit organization advocating to support the Reentry Assistance Bill in New York. They needed help redesigning and rebranding their website betterrentry.org (formerly gatemoney.org) in Squarespace.
Deliverables
Redesigned, rebranded, and full functional website
My Role & Timeline
I redesigned and rebranded the client’s website betterrentry.org (formerly gatemoney.org) in Squarespace for both desktop and mobile in ~2 months.
The Challenge: “Improve the UX” Revealed Deeper Problems
The information did not flow well. User’s couldn’t tell what the bill actually was by looking at the home page. Information was buried across multiple pages.
Zero emotional connection or engagement from the visuals.
The Home Page merely had the CTA to “Join the Campaign” without giving any context into what campaign to join or why they should join.
The project began with a deceptively simple request: "improve the UX" of the Reentry Assistance website. However, my UX audit of the website revealed a web of interconnected problems that demanded a complete strategic overhaul.
Full rebranding and redesign
Expanding the Scope: How the Project Evolved
Expanding the Scope: How the Project Evolved
As I uncovered these issues, the project evolved from a simple UX improvement to a comprehensive rebrand and redesign. The client's initial vague requirements ("make it more modern") led to an iterative discovery process where each solution revealed new opportunities for improvement.
The Solution: Strategic Storytelling Through Design
Using a combination of layout, typography, and imagery, I overhauled the website to weave together a clear, impactful story of the Reentry Assistance Bill, why it matters, and why New Yorkers should support the bill.
Brainstorming: Telling the Story in the Home Page
I brainstormed ideas to transform the Home Page into a complete story arc about the Reentry Assistance Bill. It needed the following:
Hero Section: Powerful value proposition with a clear CTA
Problem Statement: Clear explanation of the reentry challenges
Impact Stories: testimonials and success stories
Solution Overview: What the bill does and why it matters
Call to Action: Multiple engagement points with clear context
To avoid giving away I implemented progressive disclosure: overview on homepage, and details on their dedicated pages. These layout ideas went through a series of iterations before landing on the final designs.
Visual Rebrand
In addition to the layout changes, the client wanted to make the website look more “modern.” After several rounds of feedback and iterations, I landed on the layout, imagery, and typography for the site that the client liked. This involved using white space and contrasting font sizes and weights to draw in the eyes to the most important and emotionally- captivating information.
Working Smarter Within Platform Constraints
Squarespace’s platform had limitations that made it difficult to execute the advanced designs that the client was looking for. To work around them, I used other tools, such as Figma and CapCut, to elevate the designs to match their vision.
Making Sacrifices For a Responsive Site
To make the site more modern, I suggested several animations using custom CSS (with the help of ChatGPT to make some tweaks). The problem was that these animations did not translate well across different viewports and screen sizes, and some browsers couldn’t view the animations at all. I ultimately decided to take out these custom animations because having a responsive website that looked great on all screen sizes was more important.
The Impact: From Confusion to Compelling Advocacy
The Impact: From Confusion to Compelling Advocacy
across 8 pages of the website, providing the foundation for future changes to the website
across 8 pages of the website, providing the foundation for future changes to the website
Clear value proposition and call-to-action
Streamlined navigation
replacing vague CTAs and providing more context
replacing vague CTAs and providing more context
from confusing multi-page hunt to a clear story flow that guides users from awareness to advocacy
from confusing multi-page hunt to a clear story flow that guides users from awareness to advocacy
with emotionally compelling imagery and typography to set the tone of the site
with emotionally compelling imagery and typography to set the tone of the site
Clear value proposition and call-to-action
Streamlined navigation
Stakeholder Management
Creative Problem Solving
Key Takeaway: How This Project Challenged Me
Turned platform limitations into design opportunities
Turned platform limitations into design opportunities
Creative Problem Solving
Embraced changing requirements as opportunities to enhance the website
Navigated vague feedback to actionable direction
Stakeholder Management
Took my brand design skills to another level through experimentation and reiteration
Brand Design Growth
Navigated vague feedback to actionable direction
Embraced changing requirements as opportunities to enhance the website
Brand Design Growth
Took my brand design skills to another level through experimentation and reiteration
