Brindavana

System Redesign for a Non-Profit Organization

Redesigning a fragmented, dual-language system into a cohesive platform under real organizational constraints.

ROLE

Systems Designer

DURATION

16 Weeks

TOOLS

Figma , Notion

— Context

This project involved redesigning a non-profit organization’s fragmented website ecosystem that supported:

Over time, the system had split into two overlapping sub-sites with disconnected databases, inconsistent user flows, and unclear ownership across teams.

The platform also operated in two languages, which had evolved unevenly across content and structure, further complicating navigation, trust, and system coherence.

Led the redesign end to end, owning

1. Requirements elicitation

2. Stakeholder Collaboration

3. UX/UI design

4. System Architecture Decisions

5. End-to-end development of the website

— Problem Statement

Beyond the surface

While the brief initially framed this as a visual redesign, the core challenge was structural rather than aesthetic.

Users struggled not because information was missing, but because the system did not communicate a clear hierarchy, purpose, or path forward.

Fragmented content, duplicated flows, and inconsistent language parity made it difficult for users to understand where they were, what actions mattered, or how different parts of the system connected.

— Constraints & Ambiguity

The project operated under several constraints:

1. There was no single product owner, legacy content could not be discarded outright, existing databases had to be partially retained, and changes needed to be introduced without disrupting ongoing operations.

2. Additionally, the dual-language setup required maintaining structural and experiential parity across languages while allowing for meaningful linguistic differences.

— Information Architecture & Usability Review

To resolve structural confusion, I focused on re-architecting information around user goals rather than organizational ownership.

Stakeholder interviews

1. Different committees used different terminology for the same concepts

2. Content ownership was unclear across teams

Site usage observations

Members frequently relied on PDFs or WhatsApp forwards instead of the site

Content audit

Duplicate and outdated pages existed across both language versions

— Approach

An audit and mapping the existing system from both user and organizational perspectives was conducted.

This included auditing content across both sub-sites, tracing key user journeys end to end, and identifying points where users hesitated or abandoned actions.

Rather than moving directly into wireframes, I focused on building a shared understanding among stakeholders of what the system was trying to enable and for whom.

— Before & After Systems

— Key Insights

Three insights shaped the redesign:

1. Users did not perceive the two sub-sites as distinct systems and expected a single, coherent experience.

2. Content volume without prioritization led to early drop-off and confusion.

3. Critical actions such as ticketing and enrolment were buried within informational flows, creating friction at decision points.

— Design Decisions & Tradeoffs

Based on these insights,

1. Merged the sub-sites into a single system and re-architected the information hierarchy to prioritize key user actions.

2. Harmonized structure across both languages to ensure parity and predictability, while allowing for language-specific nuance where direct translation reduced clarity.

3. Deliberately reduced configurability and legacy structures in favor of clearer navigation and simpler mental models, even when this meant pushing back on stakeholder preferences.

These tradeoffs were grounded in observed user behavior rather than internal assumptions.

— Outcome

The redesigned system offered clearer navigation, more legible user journeys, and more reliable paths for engagement and revenue-related actions.

Internally, it reduced friction around content ownership and made usage patterns easier to understand.

Most importantly, the system became easier for both users and staff to reason about.

Reflection

This project reinforced that successful redesigns are less about interfaces and more about aligning system structure with how people think. Designing across organizational, technical, and linguistic boundaries deepened my appreciation for systems design as a human problem.

If revisiting this work, I would invest even earlier in validating information structures with users before committing to implementation.

Stay Connected

neelamc.sandeep@gmail.com

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