Studyhall Website Redesign
Background
StudyHall was founded by Michael Young during the COVID-19 pandemic with the belief that “you shouldn’t have to be lucky to learn to read.” The StudyHall team connects qualified volunteer tutors with students from grades 1 through 4 to offer free, virtual, one-on-one reading support. The organization has built a whiteboard application that tutors use to remotely help young children learn to read.
Solution
Redesign the StudyHall website to effectively convey its unique value proposition, define a compelling call to action for key user groups, creating a user-friendly platform that fosters community, support, and a deeper connection with StudyHall's mission.
Problem
StudyHall’s original website did not effectively communicate its mission, nor did it clearly convey the unique value it provides to key community members such as teachers, volunteers, and school administrators. The lack of a compelling call to action made it difficult for users to engage with the organization.
My Role
Research, UX Content Writing
Scope
3 months
Writing Process & Ideation
Writing good copy starts with understanding who will consume the information, why they need it, and what they’ll do with it next. This knowledge informs which words to use or avoid, appropriate presentation formats, and how to structure information so people can quickly get to what they need.
1. Understanding the Users and Their Needs
The primary audiences for StudyHall’s website were parents looking for reading support for their children and tutors interested in volunteering. Parents needed assurance that StudyHall was a trustworthy, professional, and effective solution for their child's literacy development. Tutors needed clear guidance on how they could contribute meaningfully.
To tailor the content accordingly, we conducted user interviews and gathered insights on their motivations and concerns. Parents prioritized credibility, ease of enrollment, and testimonials from other families. Tutors valued a simple onboarding process and clarity on expectations.
Current Sitemap
2. Defining a Clear Information Hierarchy
Ideation Sitemap
To ensure clarity, I restructured the website’s navigation and content layout to prioritize trust-building and actionability. This included:
A compelling homepage narrative: Establishing StudyHall’s credibility with a mission statement, success metrics, and testimonials.
Streamlined sign-up flows: Using reassuring language and breaking down complex steps into digestible sections.
Clear calls to action: Encouraging parents to enroll their children and tutors to get involved with prominent, engaging prompts.
User Persona
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Iterative Testing and Refinements
After implementing the new content strategy, we conducted usability tests where participants were asked to:
Find information explaining what StudyHall does.
Sign up as a volunteer.
Enroll their child.
Donate $25.
Testing revealed that parents needed clearer reassurance about StudyHall’s credibility. In response, I added:
A “How It Works” section with step-by-step visuals.
Testimonials from parents and teachers.
Security and privacy assurances regarding children’s online learning sessions.
High-Fidelity Wireframes
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
The high-fidelity wireframes were then created based on feedback from the first round of user research and were refined with feedback from the client and our mentor provided by Develop for Good.
Finally, we conducted a round of user research on our high-fidelity wireframes. This round of user research was specifically targeted towards individuals in our team’s network that were students or teachers. We felt this user group was important to target given that we were unable to work with students and already had insight from the volunteers. We asked the selected users to complete the following tasks:
Find information to describe the organization;
Find the different groups of people that may use the website;
Get involved as a teacher; and
Log in as a student.
Moodboards
After refining the low-fidelity wireframes, numerous moodboards that outlined different colour themes, font choices, and assets that could be used in the high-fidelity wireframes we created. These were shared with the client to confirm the desired style of the wireframes.
The high-fidelity wireframes were then created based on feedback from the first round of user research and were refined with feedback from the client and our mentor provided by Develop for Good.
Final Outcome & Impact
The redesigned website successfully:
Strengthened trust with parents through professional, transparent content.
Improved engagement with a clearer and more compelling call to action.
Made signing up easier for both parents and tutors, leading to increased participation.
The result was a more intuitive and persuasive user experience that aligned with StudyHall’s mission, making it easier for families to access literacy support and for volunteers to get involved.