Background

I joined Local Welcome, a start-up charity dedicated to connecting local residents and refugees through shared cooking and dining experiences. My role as the sole designer in a six-person agile team involved participating in multiple aspects of service design, playing an active role in product decisions, and shaping the brand identity.

My Contributions

1. Google Design Sprints: In 2018, our team participated in two Google Design Sprints, which I contributed to and which formed the basis of our successful funding application to the National Lottery Community Fund.

2. Branding and UI: After securing funding, I led the branding work in collaboration with the communications lead and created an atomised UI component library using Figma.

3. Website Development: I designed the wireframes and built the website using a SaaS platform after a quick round of user testing.

4. Membership Model: I was heavily involved in the end-to-end user journey of Local Welcome's membership model, developing user personas, designing targeted social media ads, and creating sign-up and payment flows.

5. Continuous Improvement: Collaborating with the product and delivery leads, we mapped the user journey, conducted research calls, and prioritized feedback for immediate, near-term, and long-term improvements.

6. Expansion Support: I led the creation of an online and print guideline to help Local Welcome groups become autonomous, enabling rapid expansion across the UK.

Results

Between 2018 and 2020, my work with Local Welcome contributed to raising over £1M, recruiting 153 local leaders, and hosting 99 meals in 8 UK cities, attended by 824 members and 855 refugees. This rewarding journey allowed me to learn from and collaborate with great people while transforming Local Welcome from an idea into a national charity.

Visit the Local Welcome website or read the Guardian article.