The Collective Studio
UX Design & Community Management - 2020 - 2024
DELIVERABLES
Miro Workshops
Website Design
Social Media
Promo Video
TEAM
Melanie
Clare Ho
Fedra
Noah
Cat
Anna
Pavani
YEAR
2020-2024
Introduction
As the Co-Founder, Workshop Facilitator and Creative lead for The Collective Studio (TCS). I have had the pleasure to build a diverse global community with our devoted voulunteers. I have mentored UX design students and partnered with communities such as Ladies That UX, Iterate UX, incubators at REACH, educatinal institutes such as FAMU (Florida A& M Univerity), and Conestoga College.
It lasted approximately 4 years. I wore many hats throughout that time. I'm quite happy to share some of the main highlights of our activities and TCS overall impact.
TCS started as just a vague idea scribbled on a whiteboard during the pandemic that become a community and then a movement. I have had no formal education in workshop facilitation, or in community managing most of what I achieved was self-taught and enhanced by responding sincerely to community feedback.
TL;DR? Scroll to the bottom for a high-level summary.
The Team
Melanie - Co-founder, Workshop Facilitator, UX/UI Lead, Community Manager
Clare Ho - Co-founder, Workshop Facilitator
Fedra - Video Animator
Noah, Cat, Anna and Pavani - Assistant UX Designers and Researchers
Case Study 2020-24
Our mission was simple. We believe no one should venture into UX alone.
TCS addressed the gap in practical, collaborative UX education by creating hands-on design sprints and workshops where learners:
- Applied theory to real-world challenges
- Gave/received feedback in a structured way
- Used professional industry tools (Miro/FigJam) guided by facilitators
- Built portfolios through team projects
Unlike passive courses, TCS focused on learning-by-doing in a supportive community on Discord—fixing the "no experience without a job, no job without experience" cycle for UX newcomers.
Participants learn how to solve problems on the fly, manage workload in teams and develop critical thinking skills and create prototypes that solve real world problems in an open collaborative enviornment.
Our community fostered psychological safety, enabling us to create prototypes, refine solutions, and test out ideas together.
Social Media Posts by Melanie
Instagram Story by Noah
Community Events in numbers
Our research data reveals that webinars (40% of total events) and design sprints (25% of total events) were the most popular TCS events, with career-focused talks and hands-on workshops driving high engagement.
Event participation grew significantly from 2021–2022, peaking in late 2023 with structured series like My Path to UX, neurodiversity talks and professional guest speaker sessions. While design sprints attract the most event registrations (30+), they also see higher no-show rates, whereas critiques and social events maintain loyal attendance.
Interact with our infogrpahic below for more details!
Made by the community, for the community!
Over the past three years, I've been responsible for leading a team of volunteers through the development of the website for The Collective Studio. This began with our first version in 2021 and the most recent in late 2024. I have worked with them to incorporate our branding, edit their work for aesthetic consistency, and give them the freedom to improve the experience of our Design Sprints checkout flow.
Key Contributions
- Crafted UX copywriting across all website pages to improve clarity and SEO ranking.
- Created the Design Sprints page to showcase TCS’s flagship program.
- Designed an intuitive FAQ section with collapsible Q&A modules to reduce support queries.
- Simplified complex legal content (Cookies Policy, Terms & Conditions) into scannable, easy to skim layouts.
- Navbar Information Architecture for seamless user flows.
- Dynamic footer with layered links.
Click through the prototype to see it yourself!
Improved website design served a new purpose.
Our old website over time didn't convey strongly enough the value of design sprints, the increasing amount of webinars we hosted with FAANG speakers or the impact the community has had on it's members. Here's what we changed.
Old site prioritized Discord activity to encouge others to join and learn why we started.
In our humble beginings, our focus was to capture how big and active our community was to encourage membership growth and connect meaningfully with our event offerings. Our goals were to build affinity and awareness of our community.
New about us page captures attention from potential sponsors and volunteers.
Improved copy goes straight to the point and easier to read as mobile site. We firmly establish our goals and values to get volunteers and sponsors to believe in us. We included polished professional statements on facilitators and a contact us CTA to get the conversation going.
More focus on simplifying the Design Sprint Process.
Our first iteration had a video showcasing what is done in a TCS design sprint and how our events work for those who are unfamiliar to remote live streamed workshops. Our goal was to ease the anxieties our users had about taking a chance. We resolved this by giving clear guidance and low risk opprotunity to participate.
More emphasis on converting traffic into TCS supporters.
With the new site update we made it easier for members to re-watch past sprints, or join workshops. We also connected KO-FI’s donation tier API, so users now have instant access to subscriber-only channels on Discord without leaving our site!
Oh yeah, we did a ton of research too...
Our secret to success was "rigor".
To accomplish our goals, we implemented a mixed method research approach that we conduct three months long about once ayear. This approach incorporates Discord Analytics, Diary studies, surveys, 1-on-1 interviews, and website performance tracking via HotJar. Our comprehensive data collection from events, feedback, and website performance helps us develop a deeper appreciation for what we do and why we do it.
We communicated and iterated obsessively. That is largely why we were succesful in the first place.
Constant change was how we rolled. See the reprository yourself below!
We achieved consistent 90% ratings in quality facilitation
The Collective Studio (TCS) has excelled in delivering high-quality, interactive learning experiences, as reflected in overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. Facilitators received near-perfect ratings (averaging 4.9/5) for our engaging and skilled moderation, with particular praise for creating collaborative environments using tools like Miro and Butter.
Participants consistently noted learning new techniques and appreciated peer-driven feedback, with 90% of ratings falling between 4–5 stars across all categories. Areas for refinement include time management, clearer activity instructions, and technical onboarding, but the overall sentiment underscores TCS’s success in fostering a supportive, educational community.
Key Takeaways
✅ Skilled facilitation (4.9/5) – Facilitators kept engagement high by cultivating a well-organized, and collaborative enviornment online.
✅ Participants learn skills to solve real UX problems – Participants formed new habits and reported learning from feedback.
✅ We used great tools – Miro/FigJam and Butter made remote teamwork effective and fun.
Check out these unique solutions made by our members!
Subham's team presents their solutions in building an anti-political misinformation browser plugin. Way to go Subham!
Hansel and his team demonstrate how their mobile dating application mitigates ghosting behavior. Well done, team B!
Conclusion: How TCS Thrived as a UX Community
TCS had successfully established itself as a highly engaged, skill-building hub for UX professionals and aspirants. Key Performance Indicators were:
- Active Participation: Design Sprints and webinars drew consistent attendance, with members citing tangible skill growth.
- Career Impact: 60% of surveyed individuals used prototypes made during TCS Sprints to refine their portfolio—demonstrating real-world value.
- Community Retention: Over 45% of participants remained active Discord members for 6+ months, reflecting sustained trust and relevance.
- Global Reach: Diverse membership worldwide highlights TCS’s commitment to keeping an inclusive community.
While areas like peer-to-peer mentorship and text channel engagement could be better, TCS’s focus on hands-on learning and professional feedback has solidified its role as a vital resource in the UX community landscape.