Light Center is a SaaS product that enables churches to manage their data and move from in person to online services with ease.
PRODUCT TYPE
SAAS
TOOLS
MIRO, FIG JAM, FIGMA
ROLE
PRODUCT DESIGNER, BRAND DESIGNER
1-Define the Problem
The church relied on manual, fragmented processes to manage member data, follow ups, scheduling, and donations across multiple roles, including administrators, church staff, and visitors. This led to inefficiencies, poor visibility into user status, missed follow ups due to staff rotation, and high operational overhead for administrative teams, making it difficult to deliver a consistent and reliable experience.
User Interview insights
To better understand the real challenges across different user roles, I conducted primary research through user interviews with church administrators, staff members, and visitors. These interviews revealed the following key pain points:
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Heavy reliance on manual processes for managing member information, follow ups, and internal workflows
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Lack of visibility into users’ current status, causing members to contact the church directly for updates
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Difficult and inconsistent follow ups due to frequent staff rotation and shift based roles
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High administrative overhead and complex bureaucracy for church staff managing daily operations
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Challenges in scheduling and managing meetings, especially coordinating time with church leaders
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Inefficient and rigid donation processes that required specific banking workflows
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Limited tools for visitors and members to independently track requests or updates without staff intervention
Goals & Objective
How might we reduce manual processes and improve data clarity so church staff and members can follow up more easily and confidently?
2-understand the user
To understand our users, we defined three core personas:
- Church pastor – John
- Church Staff Member – Sara
- Church Visitor – Emily
The Church Admin oversees data management, access, and reporting, needing the highest level of access to view and control. The Church Staff Member manages requests, follow-ups, and scheduling, requiring efficient tools to reduce bureaucracy. The Church Visitor interacts with the church and expects clear, up-to-date visibility into their requests and activities without repeated calls. These personas guided our design decisions and priorities.
Mapping Out The Software Structure
3-Building the solution
Next to understand our users, we focused on each role, wrote scenarios, and translated insights into actionable plans. Here, I will cover three stories about our end users “the church visitors” who interact with the system to access church services.
A- I want to set up a meeting with Pastor John at my earliest convenience.
After creating an account, users can view available pastors and select a date and time for their meeting, it will make it easy for them to reach their goal.
B- I want to become a member at one of my nearby churches.
Membership is crucial for newcomers, as it helps them connect with the community, while established families already have their networks in place.
C- I want to register as a volunteer on my available days.
Users can register as volunteers and select the days they are available. This allows the church to match volunteers with tasks that fit their schedule and skills.
Solution A - set a meeting
Solution B - become a member
Solution C - become a volunteer
Take a look at some shots.
I owned the UI branding from zero to one, taking it from concept to a complete design. By choosing meaningful icons, adding quotes, and keeping the user perspective in mind, I maximized design empathy. Regular team meetings helped us share ideas and iterate step by step. communication is always the key!
It was satisfying to witness all the pieces of the project align perfectly. That sense of completion and impact made the effort feel meaningful and memorable.
