Increasing community trust and event attendance

Visit

Re’Source Sudbury, a local dance collective, needed a welcoming online home beyond its Facebook group. I volunteered to design a simple website and brand identity that reflects the spirit of the community.

Through research, content strategy and application of UX best practice, I created a platform that showcases the gathering. With grounded visual storytelling and access to information, the new website is helping newcomers and community memebrs feel informed and inspired to join.

Client

Re'Source Sudbury

Year

2025

Roles

Branding
 / 
Copy & Content
 / 
UX/UI Design

OUTCOME

Connecting community on- and offline

By giving the collective a digital home that mirrors it's ethos, the project strenghtened visibiltiy, trust and connection - proving that thoughtful design can help community thrive both on and offline.

The site launched in late October 2025. Early outcomes include:

  • Improved access: non-Facebook users can now discover and follow events easily
  • Positive community feedback: visitors describe the site as beautiful, intentional and artful
  • Growing participation: attendance metrics are being tracked against previous quarter to measure impact
Videos and descriptions for the 3 types of offerings
Addressing key questions in the FAQ
Social proof from community members
Community agreements to highlight their values

PROBLEM

Desiring an expansion of community

Until 2025, the collective's online presence was a Facebook group, which excluded many potential attendees who don't use the platform.

The collective wanted to expand their reach, unfamiliar with the community but also to those who were curious yet hesitant.

Whilst the Facebook group had worked for first 2 years of the project, they sought a more personal and user-friendly way to share the gathering.

A Facebook account was previously needed for potential attendees to learn about the gathering.

RESEARCH

Embodied research for holistic output

As both a designer and community member, my research combined empathy and participation:

  • time spent on the dance floor
  • depth-interviews with fellow dancers and tentative newcomers
  • a qualitative / quantitative survey
  • design workshops to guide collective decisions

From this, 4 key pain points emerged: the fear of un/belonging, aversion to Facebook, lack of clear details and absence of visuals to help newcomers imagine the experience.

‍

Affinity diagram with user pain points, grouped into 4 actionable categories.

SOLUTION

Designing trust through simplicity

The new site introduces a grounded yet playful brand identity designed for the collective's personality. Guided by usability best practices, the experience is designed to feel intuitive, inclusive and easy to navigate.

Key design insights include:

  • Video storytelling to show what a gahtering feels like, reducing uncertainty for first-timers
  • Calendar available without social media
  • Values-driven copy to reflect the collective's ethos
  • Simple navigation and responsive layouts to make it easy to find dates, details and pricing
  • Visual identity inspired by playful and natural movement
  • Trust-building touchpoints such as testimonials, facilitators bio's and FAQs
Mobile friendly calendar to keep community up-to-date

IMPACT

Early impact for a growing community

Since launch, the new site has immediately improved access and transparency.

Community members shared that they feel seen and represented.

Over the next two months, I'll be tracking growth in both total participants and first-time attendees to measure the website’s ongoing influence.

First community impressions upon launch

LEARNING

Designing for belonging rather than conversion

This project was a reminder that thoughtful design can nurture belonging as much as engagemnet. By giving Re'Source a digital home that feels as welcoming as it's dance floor, design can help this community grow with the right people.