Unify the Lit
Background
Unify the Lit is a learning space and a community hub, bringing together courses, mentors, and Ambedkarite literature under one visual and emotional identity.
When we began Unify the Lit, our goal was to make mentorship and knowledge accessible for students from marginalised communities who often feel unseen in mainstream learning platforms.
During early discussions, we discovered that many first-generation learners struggled to find mentors they could relate to. Existing platforms focused on technical skills, but rarely offered emotional connection, representation, or community.
The challenge wasn’t just about building another mentorship tool, it was about creating a safe, inclusive space where learners could find people who looked like them, understood their experiences, and guided them with empathy.
Details
Role: UX Designer
Duration: 8 weeks
Team: 2 Designers, 1 Developer
Tools: Figma, Notion, Miro, Framer
Process
Every design project starts with a degree of uncertainty, and Unify the Lit was no exception. To navigate this, I adopted the Double Diamond design process, moving from understanding users and their context to crafting an inclusive, meaningful solution. My approach balanced open exploration with evidence-based validation, ensuring each design decision was rooted in real user insights.
Research & Insights
Our primary users were students and early-career individuals from Dalit and marginalised backgrounds who were trying to enter higher education or build a professional identity.
The key insights from our conversations with them were:
Education as Liberation
Users see education not just as personal growth but as collective emancipation — a way to rebuild dignity, awareness, and opportunity within their communities.Guidance through Representation
A deep lack of relatable mentors drives users to seek visible role models who share their background, proving that success is achievable without losing identity.Community over Individualism
Learners want safe, peer-driven spaces to connect, share, and uplift each other. Collective learning feels more empowering than solitary achievement.Visibility, Skills & Trust
Users crave louder visibility for Dalit excellence, practical access to modern careers (tech, design, entrepreneurship), and platforms rooted in privacy, empathy, and belonging.
Problem Statement
"Many young people from Dalit and marginalized communities struggle to access mentorship and opportunities because existing platforms lack inclusion and representation. This results in lost potential, social isolation, and slower professional growth."
How Might We
How might we connect marginalised youth with mentors who understand their lived experiences and challenges?
Goal Statement
"To design an inclusive mentorship and learning platform that empowers young people from Dalit and marginalized communities by providing accessible knowledge, authentic representation, and trust-based connections with mentors, helping them grow academically, professionally, and personally."
Wireframing the solution
The homepage needed to balance warmth and clarity. It serves as both the introduction to the platform and the gateway to mentorship and knowledge-sharing features.
The Meet All Mentors page serves as the starting point for discovery. It lists available mentors with essential details like language, experience, and availability, ensuring that users can make an informed choice without needing to click too deep.
Design Decisions:
Minimal hierarchy: Mentor name, type, and experience are prioritized for quick scanning.
“Book Now” CTA kept upfront to encourage immediate action.
“View Profile” link offers a secondary path for users who want to learn more before deciding.
The section header (“Guidance from mentors who understand your lived experiences”) reinforces empathy and representation right at the top.
A bottom navigation bar maintains continuity across the app, ensuring users always know where they are.
The About Mentor Page is a dedicated page designed to build connection and trust before booking.
Design Decisions:
Mentor’s photo and bio occupy prime space to humanize the interaction.
Key information like experience, languages spoken, and availability sits above the fold for transparency.
A clean “Book Now” button placed right below ensures the next step is visible and effortless.
The About Me section allows mentors to express their story — establishing relatability and credibility through words, not just credentials.
The booking experience had to feel intuitive, quick, and reassuring, like scheduling a friendly chat, not a formal appointment.
Design Decisions:
Step-by-step layout breaks the process into 3 simple actions:
Select Date: Scrollable, card-based calendar for clear visibility of upcoming slots.
Select Slot: Time options displayed as pill buttons, making the interaction touch-friendly and accessible.
Enter Details: A simple input section to confirm basic information and finalize the session.
The mentor’s photo and short intro remain visible throughout to keep context and reassurance alive.
Subtle borders and spacing maintain structure without visual noise.
Style Guide
The visual language of Unify the Lit is built around Ambedkar Blue (#174DA0), a colour deeply symbolic of equality, knowledge, and empowerment. Inspired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s vision of social justice, this shade of blue carries historical and emotional weight for the communities we designed for. It represents trust, intellect, and dignity, aligning perfectly with the platform’s mission of creating inclusive access to mentorship and learning.
To balance this strong cultural color, the palette includes:
Soft Neutrals like #EFEFEF and #E4F3FD to create openness and calm.
Text Gray (#323232) for clarity and readability across screens.
Blue Accent Buttons with varying fills and outlines to indicate hierarchy and interaction states.
Together, these colors create a design system that feels modern yet rooted, minimal yet meaningful.
Typography
We chose Noto Sans for its simplicity, readability, and multilingual support, crucial for a platform that welcomes users across different Indian languages. Its clean geometric structure ensures accessibility and visual consistency across mobile and web.
Developing the screens
The Dalit growth circle page acts as a welcoming hub where users can immediately see what the platform offers, mentorship, community, and representation.
Key Design Elements
Hero Section: The line “A safe space to learn, lead, and grow” sets an emotionally grounded tone right away.
Find a Mentor Cards: Compact mentor previews with clear CTAs (“Book Now”, “View Profile”) simplify navigation and reduce cognitive load.
Information Hierarchy: The primary blue highlights calls-to-action, while neutral backgrounds (#EFEFEF / #E4F3FD) keep the layout breathable.
Inclusive Illustration: Subtle human figures represent growth and mentorship without bias, ensuring the tone feels relatable to all users.
Results and Takeaways
Even though Unify the Lit hasn’t launched publicly yet, the prototype testing phase provided strong validation for the concept.
During moderated usability sessions with 6 participants, users responded positively to the inclusive tone, relatable visuals, and clarity of navigation.
Key observations from testing:
Users found the mentor discovery flow “simple and reassuring.”
The conversational tone in onboarding made the experience feel more human.
Participants highlighted that seeing diverse mentor profiles increased their sense of belonging.
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