UX Design and Website Management
Role: UX Designer and Volunteer Web Manager
Organization: Rail Industrial Clearance Association
Timeline: 2019–Present
Platform: Wix
Website URL: https://www.rica.org/
Overview
RICA is a nonprofit organization that connects professionals across the rail and heavy-haul industries. In 2019, I redesigned the organization’s website to improve usability, support membership growth, and provide clearer access to event and organizational information.
I selected Wix as the platform because it provided an affordable and sustainable solution for a volunteer run organization. It allowed us to create a members only section, manage customer service inquiries, and send email announcements directly to members.
I continue to manage and improve the site alongside a team of volunteers.
The Challenge
The original website was difficult to navigate and visually inconsistent. Important information about membership, events, and the organization was hard to find, and there was no dedicated space for members to collaborate.
As the organization grew, it needed a website that could support its expanding membership, sponsorship opportunities, and annual event while remaining manageable for a volunteer team.
What I Did
I redesigned the site structure to improve navigation, clarity, and accessibility. I created a members-only section that allows members to access exclusive resources and collaborate with one another.
In addition to the redesign, I continue to support the site through ongoing management and improvements. My work includes:
- Selecting Wix as the platform to support membership access and long-term maintainability
- Designing and maintaining the website structure and content
- Creating and managing a private members-only section supporting over 400 members
- Sending email announcements and managing member communications
- Serving as a primary point of contact for sponsor, attendee, and member questions
- Posting social media updates to support engagement and visibility
- Photographing events and creating visual content for the site and social media
- Collaborating with other volunteers to maintain and update the website
- I also initially built the annual event registration system within Wix, including attendee registration, golf registration, and sponsorship levels.
Platform Evolution
As the organization continued to grow, event registration needs became more complex. We transitioned registration to a dedicated event management platform to better support sponsorship tiers and event logistics.
This allowed the website to remain focused on communication, membership, and organizational information while improving the overall registration experience.
Outcome
The redesigned website has supported significant growth and improved accessibility for members and sponsors.
Since launching the new site:
- Sponsorship participation and sponsorship levels have increased
- LinkedIn followers have grown from approximately 450 to over 1,000
- The organization now supports over 400 active members
- Members can collaborate through a private members-only section
- The website serves as a central hub for events, speakers, scholarships, and organizational information
- The site continues to play an important role in supporting the organization’s community and annual event.
Ongoing Improvements
Because the site is maintained by multiple volunteers, maintaining visual consistency is an ongoing challenge. I am currently developing an internal style guide to help standardize design elements such as colors, images, and buttons.
This will make the site easier to maintain and improve the overall user experience.
Reflection
This project has allowed me to apply UX principles in a real-world, long-term environment. It strengthened my skills in website design, platform selection, content strategy, and ongoing product management.
It also showed me the importance of designing systems that are sustainable and accessible for both users and the organizations that maintain them.