UTA
Philanthropy
Conference
"Uniting Vision. Empowering Action. Immediate Clarity." — A live, responsive web platform designed for a real client, now in production.
philanthropyconference.net — Live in Production
April 8, 2026 · UTA Central Library · "Leading with Heart: The Lone Star Way" · Designed by Sarah Lee, Joseph Naggar, Angela Rodriguez & Diana Tostado
A real website for a real conference — built from scratch, live in production.
The UTA Philanthropy Conference Website is a digital platform designed to centralize event logistics and streamline the attendance experience for faculty, sponsors, and specialized external guests — providing clear registration paths, essential campus navigation, and confidential submission of dietary and expense requirements.
This wasn't a student mock project. The site is live at philanthropyconference.net and served real attendees for the April 8, 2026 conference hosted by the UTA Department of Communication.
Design a single web platform that serves three completely different user needs — before, during, and after the conference — without rebuilding the site each time.
Three-State Design System
The central UX challenge: one URL, three different user contexts. Each state serves a completely different primary user need and required its own CTA hierarchy, content priority, and information architecture.
Sub-group lead, design system owner, client-facing point of contact.
Team Challenge & Leadership Resolution
Project Summary
WebWeavers proposed to increase attendance and sponsorship for the UTA Philanthropy Conference by designing a clean, modern website focused on simplifying payment and registration processes while clearly highlighting the agenda and specific benefits for organizers, attendees, and sponsors.
Brand Voice & Tone
Clean, modern, and professional — incorporating UTA's colors (blue, white, and orange) and reflecting the conference's theme of resilience. The visual language needed to be accessible and credible for both academic and nonprofit audiences.
Audience
Individuals interested in networking and growth in philanthropy — digital communication, media promotion, public relations, cybersecurity, and building new partnerships. Three distinct user types: attendees, sponsors, and faculty/organizers.
Communication Strategy
Promotion via digital outreach — social media and email (two reminders per week leading up to the event), flyers and QR codes for easy access, and prompt email confirmation for registration and payment.
Competitive Positioning
Competing events in the area included the FCEF Gala and Inspiring Hope Luncheon. Strategy: actively highlight the conference's unique keynote speakers, activities, and gifts to convert interested visitors into registered attendees.
Dynamic Features
Attendee Registration — Form capturing name, email, title, organization, dietary and accessibility needs. Cap of 75 tickets with waitlist logic.
Speaker Profiles — Bio, headshot, topic, and social links for each speaker.
Photo Archive — Rotating carousel of past event images to set expectations for new attendees.
Qualitative Research — Priority, Preference & Detail
Interview Questions & Quantitative Metrics
Six personas were developed to represent the full range of attendee types — from faculty and nonprofit professionals to student volunteers and corporate sponsors.
User flows mapped the three core journeys across the site — registration, logistics access, and sponsorship inquiry — each optimized for its distinct user type and conference state.
Three wireframe variations explored different page structures for the home, about, and sponsor sections before settling on the final layout hierarchy.
Background imagery: The curved abstract wave reflects UTA's branding elements while representing unity and innovation. It ties visually to the circular logo and reinforces a sense of collective movement toward positive impact.
Responsive design: On desktop, layouts display content side-by-side for visual balance. On mobile, stacking prioritizes readability and touch navigation — all essential details like session times and CTAs remain visible without zooming or horizontal scrolling.
Eight final-production page screenshots from the delivered website. These represent the real pages served to conference attendees at philanthropyconference.net.
Software & Methods
"A live website, a real client, a real conference. Designing for three distinct user states — before, during, and after — taught me that context is everything in UX. The same page serves completely different humans at different moments."