Rural Women Online

An inclusive, judgement-free program and platform made by women for women.

Services —

Branding
Strategy
UX/UI Design
Web Design & Development

Industries —

Technology

We were approached by the non-profit organisation, Victorian Women’s Trust to design and develop Rural Women Online (RWO) which would act as a central hub for fast-tracked access to three things; training, support and mentoring. Our research confirmed that the women who would be using the platform valued simplicity over anything else. Across all areas of the project, familiarity, ease of use, and approachability anchored our design solutions.

Developing education and support for women who reside in rural and remote Victoria —

In the last two years, evidence has emerged outlining the critical barriers encountered by women living rurally and remotely that are impacting their online presence and participation. Lack of digital ability is one of them. From a number of workshops, we learned that since COVID-19, a lot of these women were experiencing feelings of loneliness and inadequacy from not being able to connect with their loved ones or find employment after losing their jobs.

Visually, we needed to ensure the design spoke directly to the women it was intended for; placing both familiarity and accessibility at the forefront of both the brand and user-experience —

Our brand exploration confirmed that the women who would be using the platform valued simplicity over anything else. A sense of familiarity and comfort led the direction for the graphic identity; incorporating images of the rural Victorian landscape in everything from the marketing material to the website. Establishing this visual connection meant users could relate to the brand and its imagery on a much more personal level.

The platform had to be easily accessible and navigable for women of all ages and backgrounds. Stripping back the homepage to a menu bar with clear call-to-actions allowed users to find what they were looking for almost immediately.