Machine Learning Collective

How might we redesign the site to grow funding, new publications, and the community at scale?

Machine Learning Collective

How might we redesign the site to grow funding, new publications, and the community at scale?

Machine Learning Collective

How might we redesign the site to grow funding, new publications, and the community at scale?

TEAM

Time

6 months

My role

Product Designer

KEY SKILLS

Growth Design

Growth Design

Growth Design

UX Research

UX Research

UX Research

UIUX

UIUX

UIUX

INTRO

Client Needs

ML Collective is a well-known AI nonprofit that was started by the founders of Uber AI, and currently has about 4,000 members - but growth has stalled.


The founders wanted growth to be self-sustaining in - generating more papers, researcher collaborations, and renewed interest in tech sponsors. To achieve this, I introduced them to the concept Product-Led Growth.

DESIGNS

Designing and Prototyping

The final designs make MLC's core value - collaborating with leading AI researchers - immediately visible and actionable.

I led a 0→1 redesign of MLC’s website, rebuilding the site from the ground up. I created engagement loops and new mental models that supported community-driven growth: a mentor booking system, live events hub, research paper matchmaking, and more - all of which were either missing or buried in the original site.

Click to view final prototype

0 → 1 Design

Click to view final prototype

0 → 1 Design

Click to view final prototype

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

0 → 1 Design

Complete 0 → 1 Redesign

Rebuilding the site from the ground up.

(Drag slider for before/after)

The Process

Exploring & Experimenting

I conducted a holistic audit, usability testing, and user interviews to identify content overload, navigation gaps, and missing value communication.


My process:

Audit → Usability Testing (Current Site) → User Flows → Sketches → Designs → Prototype → Usability Testing (Redesign) → Iteration

Mapping out the new experience

Using insights from early testing, I mapped the most important engagement loops that would support activation, collaboration, and long-term retention.

From this, I developed low-fidelity sketches to restructure the site around clear pathways to value.

THE SOLUTION

Product-Led Growth

The 0→1 redesign focuses on communicating value in the first seconds, reducing cognitive load, and guiding users toward collaboration and community participation.

The new experience ensured self-serve value discovery, low-friction onboarding & navigation, and built-in loops that lead to more usage or more users.

Insight: 83% of visitors dropped off within the first 3 seconds

Users came to find events or collaborators but left within 3 seconds - unable to navigate the page."

“The text on this site, it's too much and I never found the info I needed.” --Nick

80% of visitors dropped off...

Users came to find events or collaborators but left within 3 seconds - unable to navigate the page."

“The text on this site, it's too much and I never found the info I needed.” --Nick

Insight: 83% of visitors dropped off within the first 3 seconds

Users came to find events or collaborators but left within 3 seconds - unable to navigate the page."

“The text on this site, it's too much and I never found the info I needed.” --Nick

Solution: I focused on Time-to-Value, starting with the Hero section

Ensuring the user is clear on MLC's offerings, and clear path to value within the first moment on the page.

"Ok, I finally understand what MLC is trying to do now, after 3 years." --Nick

Solution: I focused on Time-to-Value, starting with the Hero section

Ensuring the user is clear on MLC's offerings, and clear path to value within the first moment on the page.

"Ok, I finally understand what MLC is trying to do now, after 3 years." --Nick

Solution: I focused on Time-to-Value, starting with the Hero section

Ensuring the user is clear on MLC's offerings, and clear path to value within the first moment on the page.

"Ok, I finally understand what MLC is trying to do now, after 3 years." --Nick

Insight: Users wanted to see a list of researchers, and proposed papers

Users wanted to talk to a researcher or view papers currently being worked on, none of this was found.

“The site is confusing, where are the researchers? Request for proposal seems intimidating.” --Joel

80% of visitors dropped off...

Users wanted to talk to a researcher or view papers currently being worked on, none of this was found.

“The site is confusing, where are the researchers? Request for proposal seems intimidating.” --Joel

Insight: Users wanted to see a list of researchers, and proposed papers

Users wanted to talk to a researcher or view papers currently being worked on, none of this was found.

“The site is confusing, where are the researchers? Request for proposal seems intimidating.” --Joel

Solution: I created growth loops, and emphasized on the "human element"

There's now easy paths to access researchers and current papers being worked on, ensuring engagement.

"Oh wow, this is a lot more intuitive. It's nice to have a way to see the list of proposals too." --Joel

80% of visitors dropped off...

There's now easy paths to access researchers and current papers being worked on, ensuring engagement.

"Oh wow, this is a lot more intuitive. It's nice to have a way to see the list of proposals too." --Joel

Solution: I created growth loops, and emphasized on the "human element"

There's now easy paths to access researchers and current papers being worked on, ensuring engagement.

"Oh wow, this is a lot more intuitive. It's nice to have a way to see the list of proposals too." --Joel

Insight: Half of the users wanted to get to know research collaborators in person

Talking and booking time with a researcher seemed intimadating, most people wanted to talk organically at events.

"Organizing events takes too much work, we both have jobs." --Jason

80% of visitors dropped off...

Talking and booking time with a researcher seemed intimadating, most people wanted to talk organically at events.

"Organizing events takes too much work, we both have jobs." --Jason

Insight: Half of the users wanted to get to know research collaborators in person

Talking and booking time with a researcher seemed intimadating, most people wanted to talk organically at events.

"Organizing events takes too much work, we both have jobs." --Jason

Solution: I introduced a new mental model around events, and associated corporate sponsors to publications

Users wanted in-person interaction, corporations wanted recognition for continuity in sponsorship.

“The hosting concept is creative, I like the paper affiliation with companies!” --Jason

80% of visitors dropped off...

Users wanted in-person interaction, corporations wanted recognition for continuity in sponsorship.

“The hosting concept is creative, I like the paper affiliation with companies!” --Jason

Solution: I introduced a new mental model around events, and associated corporate sponsors to publications

Users wanted in-person interaction, corporations wanted recognition for continuity in sponsorship.

“The hosting concept is creative, I like the paper affiliation with companies!” --Jason

The Process

Exploring & Experimenting

I conducted a holistic audit, usability testing, and user interviews to identify content overload, navigation gaps, and missing value communication.


My process:

Audit → Usability Testing (Current Site) → User Flows → Sketches → Designs → Prototype → Usability Testing (Redesign) → Iteration

Mapping out the new experience

Using insights from early testing, I mapped the most important engagement loops that would support activation, collaboration, and long-term retention.

From this, I developed low-fidelity sketches to restructure the site around clear pathways to value.

IMPACT

Seeing the results

With 6 participants, I measured the before/after time spent on page, how confident they felt in achieving their goal with the redesigned experience, and tasks they're able to accomplish now with the redesigned experience versus before.

Increased Time on Page 

+92%

User Confidence Score

+99%

Task completion rate

+6x

Lessons

What I learned?

Design as a storytelling tool

Without storytelling conveying value — eg. founder stories, and testimonials — a product will not compel engagement.

Product growth is led by design

Intuitive design with strategic affordances and engagement loops, help surface value and keeps users coming back.

Explore more

Service Design

Juul Labs - Youth Prevention

Add-A-Feature

Waymo One Ride Sharing

Explore more

Service Design

Juul Labs - Youth Prevention

Add-A-Feature

Waymo One Ride Sharing

Explore more

Service Design

Juul Labs - Youth Prevention

Add-A-Feature

Waymo One Ride Sharing

Product-Led Growth

Overview

Designs

The Process

Iterations

Impact

Lessons