Community Product Redesign: Birthing Justice Grassroots Collective
Reimagining a doula network and community forum product experience — Black Women Birthing Justice
Overview
As a Freelance Product & UX Consultant, I partnered with Black Women Birthing Justice (BWBJ) to redesign and rebuild their national Doula Forum and Directory—a central hub serving doulas nationwide.
The goal: create a modern, accessible, and sustainable digital community space that honors BWBJ’s equity-centered mission while improving usability, scalability, and engagement.
The Challenge
The existing WordPress platform was outdated, difficult to navigate, and resource-intensive to maintain. Doulas struggled to update their profiles, locate peers, and engage meaningfully within the forum. BWBJ needed a low-code, cost-efficient solution that could support growth and improve user experience—without compromising accessibility or brand integrity.
Key challenges included:
Fragmented and outdated forum infrastructure
Manual, time-consuming updates for staff and members
Poor mobile usability and limited scalability
Lack of a cohesive membership and directory experience
The Strategy
I led a full platform migration and experience redesign focused on equity, efficiency, and engagement. Through user research, tool evaluation, and UX restructuring, we transformed BWBJ’s digital community into a seamless, intuitive ecosystem.
Core components:
Migrated the forum and directory from WordPress to Squarespace
Integrated Community Box + MemberSpace for low-code, gated access
Conducted user research sessions with doulas and leaders to inform design
Restructured forum categories and user flows to improve navigation
Developed a modular system for scalable growth and easy admin management
Phased Approach
Phase I: Discovery & Research
Interviewed doulas and community leaders to identify barriers
Audited existing workflows and forum engagement patterns
Defined equity-centered design principles for inclusive UX
Phase II: Platform Evaluation & Migration
Selected Community Box + MemberSpace as the core framework
Directed migration from WordPress to Squarespace for modern stability
Simplified backend workflows, saving 60+ admin hours annually
Phase III: Redesign & Optimization
Reorganized seven forum categories to streamline discussion threads
Designed clear member onboarding and directory submission paths
Integrated SaaS tools for automation and cost efficiency
Tools & Platforms
Squarespace – Website build and content architecture
Community Box – Public directory management
MemberSpace – Gated membership and authentication
Airtable – Internal tracking and data management
Loom & Figma – User testing and design documentation
Key Results & Impact
The new platform delivered a seamless, community-driven experience for doulas nationwide and strengthened BWBJ’s operational capacity.
Highlights:
60+ hours saved through streamlined platform management
30% increase in member profile updates
60% increase in participation in regional meetups
Improved navigation and accessibility across all devices
Reduced maintenance costs through SaaS integration
Impact:
This redesign positioned BWBJ as a modern, equity-centered digital hub for Black doulas—enhancing visibility, collaboration, and sustainability within the reproductive justice movement.
My Role
I managed the full product lifecycle from research to implementation, aligning UX and technology decisions with community needs.
Contributions:
Led end-to-end strategy, platform migration, and build-out
Conducted user interviews and feature prioritization
Directed UX restructuring and content architecture
Integrated SaaS tools to automate manual tasks
Delivered a scalable, community-first platform that reflected BWBJ’s mission