Designing a Mentorship Mobile App for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indiana
UX/UI Design | Mobile App Design
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) empowers children facing adversity by fostering strong, one-on-one mentoring relationships. To better support mentors and their matches, BBBSCI needed a digital tool that would provide structured guidance, encourage intentional relationship-building, and simplify activity planning.
Partnering with two development firms, I served as the UX/UI designer, ensuring the app was both intuitive and impactful in guiding mentors through BBBSCI’s 12 Thriving Indicators—key life skills and attributes that help youth reach their full potential.
Challenge
Providing Structure for Mentors – Many mentors struggled with knowing what activities to do with their mentees that aligned with BBBSCI’s Thriving Indicators (e.g., confidence, character, healthy habits).
Reducing Information Overload – The organization previously relied on hundreds of emails to share activity ideas, making it difficult for mentors to find relevant events and opportunities.
Tracking Engagement & Progress – BBBSCI wanted a way to measure how much time matches were spending together and which Thriving Indicators they were focusing on.
MY ROLE & APPROACH
User-Centered Mobile UX/UI Design
Designed an easy-to-use interface that allowed mentors and mentees to select a Thriving Indicator and browse curated activities and events aligned with that skill.
Created a seamless navigation structure, ensuring mentors could quickly find relevant resources without overwhelming menus or excessive clicks.
Activity & Event Discovery
Integrated a custom event and activity feed to replace scattered emails, giving mentors one central place to find meaningful experiences for their mentees.
Ensured clear categorization and filtering options, making it simple to select activities based on goals and interests.
Profile & Progress Tracking
Designed a profile dashboard that displayed basic mentee information, helping mentors better understand and connect with their matches.
Developed a reporting feature that allowed matches to track their activities over time, providing valuable metrics on engagement levels and Thriving Indicator focus areas.
Results & impact
Launched on iOS & Android – The app quickly gained traction, eliminating the need for email clutter and giving mentors an efficient way to plan activities and track progress.
Showcased at the National Conference – The app was presented at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America National Conference, demonstrating its potential for expansion to chapters across the U.S.
Scalable for Future Growth – With its flexible design and structured framework, the app has the potential to become a national tool, transforming how Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters support mentorship.
By designing a structured, engaging, and easy-to-use mobile experience, I helped streamline mentorship planning, enhance relationship-building, and improve tracking for BBBSCI mentors and mentees. This project highlights the power of UX/UI in driving meaningful connections and real-world impact.
