Transfem Transition Cornell
Responsive web resource for Cornell students undergoing transfeminine transition.
Problem
While Cornell University makes it possible for students to receive healthcare and change their names and gender within the university system, there is a glaring gap in the informational resources available. They are often buried, disparate, or simply nonexistent for many aspects of transitioning—particularly for social transition.
Goal
In collaboration with Bronwyn Montiero, a Cornell doctoral candidate in psychology, we aimed to fill institutional gaps in Cornell’s healthcare and student resources to create a guide for trans feminine students.
Solution
I designed and implemented a responsive website based on both Bronwyn’s content and guidance.
I aimed to make the site feel reassuring and personal for students undergoing this emotionally-charged journey.
My Role
Full stack UX designer
Original site.
While the content of the original site was fantastic, the usability, clarity, and aesthetics could be improved.
The main nav menu had low contrast for selected links, pages had no headers or sub-headers, and the site generally lacked images and an overall ambiance.
Sitting down with Bronwyn, we identified what the target emotion for the site and the role it would play in the lives of the users.
She clearly defined the tone as personal, casual, and reassuring, and the overall feel of the site as feminine.
Re-designed site.
Story and emotion design
I edited and re-ordered the content to tell the central story:
While incredibly challenging, ultimately transition a beautiful and enriching journey that they are not alone in.
It’s a process that requires patience, but is incredibly worth it.
For the abstract visuals, I used flower imagery and moving gradients. The thinking behind this was two-fold. Firstly, it accomplished alignment with a feminine feel and relaxing and reassuring tone. Secondly, these visuals enhanced the story about transition as a process of blooming, as well as change.
For the descriptive visuals within each section, I sought to use assets presenting the full spectrum of femininity, body representation, and ethnic diversity. Additionally, great care was taken to avoid images that might trigger an experience of gender dysmorphia for users.
Human-centered design
I added a resource wiki for quick reference, structured pages to be clear and skim-able with headers and sub-headers, optimized the site architecture for easy navigation with links to the next guide at the bottom of pages and carousels with the guides in key places.
In line with blooming, I added a round floral favicon for the site.
Take a tour through the full site.
