2024
I served as design researcher on this project, conducting qualitative research and co-design sessions with youth transitioning out of foster care for Silver Lining Mentoring's first mobile app.
Research surfaced a core tension between youth expression and platform safety. Advocating for a resilience-centered approach, our findings shaped the Community feature's final direction and convinced SLM's C-Suite to commit to full development for the following cycle.
Role: Design Researcher
Team: PM + 6 designers + SLM stakeholders
Client Project | May–August 2024
What Made This Hard
Safety vs. Expression
Early interviews and stakeholder conversations surfaced a core tension:
Youth wanted space to share openly.
Staff needed safeguards to prevent harm and misuse.
Open posting felt risky.
Strict controls felt limiting.
Rather than treating this as a feature decision, we reframed it as a systems question:
How might we design for expression without compromising safety?
Designing for Resilience
Not Just Wins
Early concept testing framed Community around celebrating wins.
Interviews surfaced a gap: constant positivity can feel isolating.
I advocated for a resilience-centered space, leading to #StillHere which focused on everyday persistence.
Shaping How People Post
Structure Came After Feedback
Initial designs allowed open posting.
Stakeholder review surfaced moderation risks.
We introduced templated posts, character limits, and staff-defined trigger warnings, shifting the system from open expression to structured safety.
Where We Landed
Designed to Evolve Over Time
Our research findings and final designs were presented to SLM's C-Suite, securing their commitment to full development for the following cycle. SLM plans a phased rollout, starting with structured guardrails and expanding as trust and engagement grow.
The final Community system includes:
• Guided posting to reduce risk
• Clear norms for tone and content
• Flexible controls that can loosen over time
This project reinforced that designing for vulnerable communities requires:
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Ongoing feedback loops
• Letting research reshape direction
The system was built to evolve.
