Project Overview
La Colaborativa is a grassroots organization in Chelsea, Massachusetts, serving over 3,000 community members. I designed and developed their economic development platform to provide the community with seamless access to programs, resources, and opportunities that support economic mobility and community growth.
The Challenge
La Colaborativa is a non-profit survival center that had previously outsourced web development, requiring external technical support for even small content updates. This process took weeks and prevented staff from posting timely, relevant information—forcing community members to visit in person or make phone calls for updates. The organization needed a solution that would empower non-technical staff to maintain the platform independently while serving a Spanish-speaking majority with varying levels of digital literacy.
A Critical Realization
Early in the project, I made a significant mistake: I initially approached the design the way I had with other projects—focusing on functionality and modern layouts without fully considering the user base. I quickly realized my designs felt overwhelming and inaccessible to the people they were meant to serve. This was a turning point that reshaped my entire approach to the project.
Deliverables
Phase I: Discovery & User-Centered Research
After recognizing my initial mistake, I made a deliberate pivot to focus on deeply understanding the users first. I partnered with 10+ staff members across different departments and sat in on Zoom calls with community members to observe how they accessed resources and where they struggled. I gathered direct feedback from staff who worked with these members daily, asking what frustrated users most about previous systems. This immersive research phase was crucial in identifying pain points and understanding the real needs of the community.
- Sat in on Zoom calls with community members to observe their interaction with digital tools and listen to how they accessed resources
- Conducted interviews with staff across departments who work directly with community members to understand workflows, challenges, and what frustrated users most
- Identified critical needs: mobile accessibility for majority-mobile users, trusted Spanish translations (not just Google Translate), and simplified navigation for low digital literacy
- Documented existing technology limitations, budget constraints, and the time-consuming outsourcing process that took weeks for simple updates
- Translated findings into actionable platform requirements that prioritized accessibility, empowerment, and cultural context
Phase II: Redesigning for Accessibility & Empowerment
Armed with insights from community members and staff, I redesigned the platform in Figma with a completely different approach. I simplified navigation, emphasized mobile accessibility, and ensured Spanish content was presented clearly and consistently—not through automated translation, but through trusted, human-reviewed translations. I tested prototypes with staff and iterated quickly, cutting unnecessary steps and surfacing the features people cared about most. The design had to feel approachable and empowering, not intimidating.
Tech Stack
I researched content management frameworks and identified Strapi as the ideal fit. The people who knew the most about the programs offered needed to be editing the site—without coding experience, they needed a CMS to make updates independently. Strapi's headless architecture would allow non-technical staff to manage content without relying on developers, transforming update times from weeks to minutes while accomplishing more with the organization's limited resources.
Phase III: Development & Overcoming Technical Challenges
Implementing Strapi for the first time was a struggle—I spent significant time troubleshooting local development setup and configuration. But I understood this investment was critical: the people who knew the programs best needed to maintain the site themselves. I developed the platform using Next.js for optimal performance and mobile-first accessibility, ensuring community members could easily find resources. The Strapi CMS was carefully configured to match staff workflows, with custom content types and an intuitive admin interface.
- Overcame initial technical challenges implementing Strapi CMS for the first time, debugging local setup and configuration issues
- Built responsive, mobile-first interface using Next.js and Tailwind CSS with simplified navigation for low digital literacy users
- Configured Strapi with custom content types tailored to organizational workflows, ensuring staff could manage Spanish and English content consistently
- Wrote comprehensive documentation for handoff and ran short information sessions with staff to ensure they felt confident using the CMS
- Collected feedback throughout to ensure the admin interface matched their workflows and was truly empowering
- Optimized for performance and SEO to maximize community reach through search engines
- Deployed to Vercel for reliable hosting and continuous deployment
Phase IV: Digital Equity Curriculum
Beyond the platform itself, I created a comprehensive two-month Digital Equity curriculum using Canva. This curriculum was designed to empower community members with essential digital skills, helping bridge the digital divide. The curriculum has been used in classes of 25+ community members, providing them with the tools to navigate the digital world more confidently.
- Designed 8-week curriculum covering essential digital literacy skills
- Created visually engaging materials in Canva for diverse learning styles
- Structured content for classes of 25+ participants
- Focused on practical skills: online safety, digital communication, and resource access
Impact & Results
The final platform became something staff and community members felt confident using. Content updates that previously took weeks now take minutes. The platform successfully serves over 3,000 community members with up-to-date access to economic development programs and resources, all accessible from their mobile devices. Community members no longer need to make bus trips to the front desk or phone calls just to get information—reducing resource strain on both the organization and the community. Staff can independently maintain and update content in Spanish and English without technical assistance, ensuring information stays current and culturally relevant.
View Live PlatformKey Takeaways
This experience was a turning point in how I approach design and development. I learned that designing for accessibility isn't an add-on—it has to shape the foundation of the product from day one. My initial mistake taught me how critical it is to deeply understand your users, especially when they come from different cultural or technical backgrounds than your own. By admitting I had misjudged the needs of the user base and pivoting to a user-centered approach, I was able to create a solution that staff and community members felt confident using. The combination of stakeholder collaboration, appropriate technology choices, and genuine empowerment created lasting impact that went far beyond the platform itself.