Sunlight Sisters
Building a Digital Community for Women’s Connection and Growth
Overview
Sunlight Sisters is a digital platform designed to empower women by fostering authentic connections and personal growth. Targeting women seeking supportive spaces during self-discovery, it offers a nurturing environment to connect and grow. As the UX designer at Sunlight Sisters, I worked with a web developer to design the main page, podcast section, events page, shop section, and about page, focusing on an intuitive, emotionally resonant experience.
Problem Statement
While many women long for meaningful conversations and authentic bonds that nurture their growth, today’s digital platforms often feel impersonal and disconnected. One user shared, “I want a space to be myself without judgment, but I feel disconnected online.” Another said, “I’m growing, but I don’t have friends who get me.” This gap inspired a platform to help women connect, grow, and belong.
Our goal was to create a platform for Sunlight Sisters that empowers women to connect authentically and foster growth in a nurturing space. We aimed to:
Goals & Objectives
- Build a supportive community for connection.
- Help women form friendships in a safe environment.
- Provide women-focused content like podcasts and events.
- Offer a shop for self-care products.
- Create an about page to share Sunlight Sisters’ mission.
These objectives were inspired by our:
Jobs-to-be-Done, such as “Build a supportive community where women can connect and feel a sense of belonging,”
and
How Might We questions like, “How might we provide education on women-focused topics to inspire growth?”
Research & Insights
To understand our users’ needs, I conducted user interviews with 6 women aged 25–40 and distributed surveys to 10 participants. We also created a persona, Valeria Martinez, to represent our primary user—a 27-year-old office worker seeking connection and growth.
Key insights included:
Feeling of Loneliness: Women craved deeper friendships but felt isolated in existing digital spaces.Desire for Growth: They wanted access to resources like podcasts and events tailored to their personal development.Need for Trust: They sought a platform that felt safe and aligned with their values, as reflected in an about page.
These findings were synthesized into a persona which guided our design decisions by highlighting Valeria’s emotional needs and pain points.
Design Process
I started with sketches for the main page, podcast, events, shop, and about sections, then created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Testing with 3 users revealed a cluttered shop layout. I simplified the shop grid, iterating into high-fidelity designs based on feedback.
User Feedback: “Everything blends together—I can’t tell what’s new or where to look first.”
Low‑Fidelity Wireframe
High‑Fidelity Solution
By breaking the shop into three distinct sections with clear headings, spacing, and visual hierarchy, users immediately understand where to find featured items, browse by category, or shop top picks.
High-Fidelity
Main Page
Podcast Section
Events Page
Shop Section
About Page
Final Solution
Sunlight Sisters transforms impersonal digital spaces into a unified, supportive community where women can truly connect, grow, and belong. We addressed the core problem, women feeling isolated and unable to form deep, affirming relationships
Sunlight Sisters’ design is warm and inviting platform. Using soft color palette of pinks, deep reds, and whites to create a nurturing atmosphere—pinks for warmth, deep reds for empowerment, and whites for clarity. Elegant serifs and clean sans-serifs ensure readability, while subtle wave patterns add a playful, feminine touch.
Welcomes & Guides: A warm hero greeting and clear “Join” button on the Main Page immediately invite users into a nurturing space.
Curates Meaningful Content: The Podcast and Events sections surface growth-focused conversations and real-world gatherings with intuitive controls and RSVP flows, ensuring women can easily find and join enriching experiences.
Events Page: A gallery of upcoming events with a clear call-to-action (“Go To Event”), showcasing vibrant photos of past gatherings to inspire participation.
Organizes Shared Resources: The Shop’s “Feel the Bloom” banner, distinct category cards, and “Most Popular” highlights create clarity and purpose, helping women explore self-care tools without feeling overwhelmed.
Builds Trust & Belonging: The About page’s story-driven mission and founder testimonials establish credibility and align the platform with users’ values.
Every design choice—from the rounded corners to the empowering imagery—was made to create an inclusive, supportive experience that resonates with women seeking growth and connection.
Together, these elements form a cohesive journey—guiding women from first visit to ongoing engagement—so that every interaction on Sunlight Sisters feels like a step closer to genuine sisterhood and personal empowerment.
Impact & Results
We conducted usability testing with 5 women, observing their interactions and gathering feedback through post-session interviews. The results were encouraging:
- Task Completion: 95% played a podcast episode within 1 minute (up from 70%).- Feedback: 4/5 users found it “inviting.” One said, “The events page makes me excited to join.”- Engagement: Users spent 5 minutes in the shop section during a 1-week beta.
We successfully created a platform that feels emotionally resonant and user-friendly, though some users suggested adding more interactive elements to the events page, which we plan to explore in the future.
Takeaways
This project taught me to design with emotional intent, prioritizing features like the warm palette to foster belonging. I improved my iteration skills, balancing usability and aesthetics. Designing for women’s empowerment showed me a platform can inspire, a lesson I’ll carry forward.