Design For Social Good
Amplfy is a solution designed to serve 1,500+ caseworkers, facilitate 500+ new organizational partnerships, and accelerate resource discovery to better support 45,000+ system-impacted youth, while emphasizing user-centered design and visual consistency.
This project was the outcome of a one-month design sprint at BRIDGEGOOD from July 14 – August 15, 2025, where I led our team in collaboration, with mentors and stakeholders, to develop a human-centered solution through continuous research and iteration.
Amplifying Connection Where It Counts
Context
Our team was tasked with designing a product addressing a social need, identifying our own stakeholders, and leading the project from research to execution. Together we chose to focus on supporting system-impacted youth (ages 12–24) but quickly recognized the challenge of engaging with minors directly, as doing so required consent.
To solve this, we found out how these youth normally receive support and discovered that caseworkers at public resource centers play a critical role. After defining our scope we settled on a the following prompt:
⚙️ How might we enable caseworkers to more effectively connect youth with critical resources, ultimately reducing the number of individuals who lose access to support after seeking help?
Approach
Acquiring Stakeholder
Preliminary Research
We reached out through cold emails and existing connections to identify stakeholders who were open to collaborating and sharing their needs. Our stakeholders included caseworkers, analysts, and program managers from the following organizations:
- Bay Area Community Resource (BARC)
- Roadmap to Peace
- Justice for Shaun Project
- Center of Re-entry Excellence (C.O.R.E)
As well as BRIDGEGOOD’s Executive Creative Director Shaun Tai and Team Mentor Jessica Poole.
Interviews
Moderated Virtual Interviews
To better understand their day-to-day operations and how they serve local youth, we conducted moderated virtual interviews with the four Bay Area–based organizations.
Logistics
Tools
4
Bay Area Based Organizations
🗣️ Interviewer
📝 Note-taker(s)
⏱️ Timekeeper
Roles Breakdown
Virtual, Moderated
AI Assistant Tool
Synthesis & Redefining the Problem
Affinity Mapping
Problem Statement
Hypothesis
Affinity mapping revealed shared organizational challenges and frustrations which hinder continuous outreach and long-term impact:
1.
Limited capacity (staff, time, and planning)
2.
Insufficient funding
3.
Difficulties in community outreach
4.
Lack of consistent partnerships or cross-organizational collaboration
Problem Statement
Case workers lack centralized, up-to-date information about potential community partners when seeking other organizations to connect with. This leads to missed collaboration opportunities that limits their ability to expand the case workers' service offerings for their clients.
Hypothesis
If we create a centralized, up-to-date platform that serves as a database and social network, case workers will have more partnership opportunities to expand services for their clients.
Insight to Design
User Persona
Lo-Fi Sketches
Caseworkers manage heavy caseloads and limited time, requiring tools that minimize friction.
Design Iteration
Early sketches focused on creating a straightforward, intuitive flow that allows caseworkers to find and act on information quickly.
Task Delegation
Robert: Brand + Presentation Deck
Allison: UI + Design Systems
Desha (Me)/Juliana: UX + Flow + Storyboard + Golden Path + Use Case + Deck Content
Visualizing the Youth-Caseworker Journey
Storyboard
To empathize with both sides of the experience, I created a storyboard illustrating how a youth client interacts with their caseworker while seeking employment support.
1-2. Youth Seeks Help 3-5. Caseworker Gathers Information 6. Limited Resources Surface
7-9. The Process is Repeated + Delayed Communication 10. Client Loses Motivation 11. Reflection & Opportunity
In this scenario, the client urgently needs help building a resume and finding job opportunities.
Despite multiple attempts, through job sites, workshops, and caseworker outreach, limited resources and delayed communication prevent timely support.
Ultimately, the client feels discouraged, and the caseworker is left frustrated, highlighting the need for more efficient tools and clearer collaboration pathways.
Defining the Golden Path for Caseworker Resource Discovery
User Flows and Golden Path
After mapping Jobs To Be Done to our How Might Wes', we identified key opportunities for features and prioritized them by impact, Must Haves, Nice to Haves, and Bells and Whistles.
This led us to our golden path: helping caseworkers discover and connect with organizations and resources to better support clients through timely referrals.
Lo-Fi Testing to Mid-Fi Prototype
Usability Testing
Testing Insight Implementation
We conducted 13 mid-fidelity usability tests with stakeholders, designers, and peers to evaluate how well our design supported user needs.
These sessions revealed key opportunities to improve clarity, functionality, and visual hierarchy, informing the next phase of our UI refinements.
1.
Testers noted that the Category Page needed a clearer layout, larger icons, and a visible search bar for easier navigation.
Lo-Fi
Mid-Fi Iterations
- Cleaner information architecture
- Standardized spacing and type
- Implemented iconography
- Action-oriented microcopy and UX language
Ideally to decrease vertical scrolling we decided on the two column iteration.
2.
Users also suggested more detailed organization profiles.
Lo-Fi
Mid-Fi Iterations
- Added organization mock data
- Standardized spacing, typography, and layout
- Refined drop downs with clearer hierarchy and unified button styles
- Introduced new informational screens (Activity and Needs)
3.
Lastly, the filter system needed refinement, users preferred a more intuitive interaction and smoother transitions between pages.
Lo-Fi
Mid-Fi Iterations
- Added mock organization data
- Introduced a horizontal filter layout
- Intuitive microcopy and UX writing
- Incorporated new screens for easier search refinement
- ex. visual map aid to support spatial navigation
Design Standards, Accessibility, & Components
Refining for Consistency and Clarity
Mid-Fi to High-Fi
The final changes made to our digital solution were to ensure an intuitive user experience and enhance standardization across all pages, including typography, color schemes, spacing, interactions, etc.
Added a subcategory list after initial category page for more precise discovery.
Refined spacing and filter labels, introduced color indicators for active filters, and incorporated guidance-oriented UX language for improved clarity.
Combined additional profile screens into a single, scrollable page for a smoother, continuous browsing experience.
Introducing Amplfy
A digital platform designed to help caseworkers quickly discover, evaluate, and connect with local organizations that meet their clients’ needs.
Through categorized search filters, AI-generated organization summaries, and built-in messaging, Amplfy streamlines resource discovery, making it easier for caseworkers to find relevant programs, build partnerships, and provide faster, more personalized support to their clients.
