A Club with Energy, But a Website That Couldn’t Keep Up
The Artificial Intelligence Society (AIS) at UT Dallas was one of the most active clubs on campus—but you wouldn't know that from its website. Outdated content, generic visuals, and confusing navigation failed to capture the club’s excitement.
As Lead Designer, I saw a chance to do more than a visual refresh. This was an opportunity to align design with mission and turn passive visitors into engaged members.
AIS Mission
Framing the Mission: Make AI Approachable, Events Visible, and Joining Effortless
After syncing with AIS leadership, we focused on 3 goals:
Make AI feel exciting and beginner-friendly
Increase participation in events
Create a bold, inviting digital presence
This wasn’t just about design—it was about building trust and connection.
User Interview
We Listened to Users
Interviews revealed key issues:
Low event visibility
No clear onboarding path
Overwhelming navigation
Generic visual identity
Users wanted clarity, energy, and real-time updates.
User persona & user journey
Sarah — The Motivated AI Explorer
Sarah thrives on hands-on learning and real-time updates. She joins clubs for growth and community. Her needs helped shape a user journey that emphasized clarity, engagement, and motivation.
Competitive Analysis
Looking Outward: What Top Sites Get Right
We benchmarked high-performing student org sites and saw consistent patterns:
Simple navigation
Clear event info
Strong brand identity
Obvious calls to action
How might we
From Problems to Possibilities
Instead of jumping into solutions, I translated frustrations into “How Might We” questions:
Ideation & Wireframing
Design in Action: Wireframes, Testing, and Iteration
Key Moves:
Prioritized key features: events, joining, and visual clarity
Final design
Final Design Highlights
Homepage
Introduces AIS with it’s mission and clear 3-feature block (HackAI, Mentorship, ML Mondays)
Includes the "Join in 3 Steps" section for quick onboarding
Features an Instagram feed for real-time event visibility
Events Page
Splits into Upcoming and Past sections using a clean grid layout
Emphasizes key details: time, location, RSVP links
Join Page
Clear calls to action for different user types (new incomers, officer applicants, AI Mentorship applicants)
Results
Measurable Wins
CTR increased from <20% to 40%
(confirmed by officer feedback)
Impressions doubled
(confirmed by officer feedback)
Higher event turnout!
(confirmed by officer feedback)
Reflection
What I Learned
Translate abstract goals into tangible UX decisions
Balance stakeholder needs with user outcomes
Lead design with both empathy and strategy
What’s Next?
If given the chance to take this project even further, I would:
Run usability tests with more users
A/B test the Join CTA
Build a modular design system for scalability
This Wouldn’t Exist Without Them!
None of this would’ve been possible without the incredible team I worked with. I’m beyond grateful to have collaborated with such talented and supportive people who brought this project to life together :)
