Here’s a hard truth: first impressions in digital products really do matter — especially when your audience is Gen Z, and especially when you’re asking them to share sensitive personal information before they even know who you are.

Youngster.co is an Australian social impact startup connecting young volunteers with elderly citizens in local communities. Their onboarding experience, however, told a different story — one filled with long, clunky forms, unclear steps, and a premature request for documents like police checks and ABN numbers. For many users, it created friction, confusion, and trust issues right at the start.

What I Did
I combined a user journey walkthrough with contextual inquiry by experiencing the full onboarding process myself and visiting the location to speak directly with users. This helped me uncover gaps in the flow and align the solution closely with real user needs.
Interviewed users and stakeholders.
Mapped pain points and restructured the flow.
Conducted Gen Z-focused UI/UX research.
Designed a friendly, trust-building, step-by-step experience.

Impact
A streamlined, humanized onboarding process that aligned with real-life induction, improved clarity, and built trust — praised by the client as a major step forward. I’m now working closely with developers to hand off final designs, ensuring that every interaction detail is implemented consistently across the product.