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Values & Virtues
Re-imagining a legacy of character education for the digital age
UX Writing | Branding | Strategy
OVERVIEW
Client
Values & Virtues: a non-profit organization focused on character education.
Users
Parents, Educators, Students
My Role
UX Writing
Research
Brand Design
Marketing
Timeline
11 months (June, 2024 - April 2025)
Tools
Figma · Figjam · Wordpress · Canva
Key Deliverables
Content Audit
Newsletter
Usability Audit
Brand Style Guide
Problem
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Unfinished web copy
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No UX research
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Inconsistent branding
Solution
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Rewrote key sections for clarity
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Led user research to align copy with user needs
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Created a brand guide for consistency
Project Summary:
In 2024, Isaac Durst, director of Values & Virtues, reached out to me for a quick content audit of his new character education website.
Previously, Isaac served as the principal of Principled Academy, a Pre-K to 8th grade school in San Leandro, CA. Due to declining enrollment and funding, the school eventually closed. Still passionate about sharing the wealth of knowledge built over 30+ years, Isaac launched Values & Virtues to make it easier for parents and educators to teach virtue-based lessons to children.
During my audit, I uncovered several usability issues—from confusing information structure to broken links and missing trust elements. My findings led Isaac to bring in a professional developer to rebuild the site.
Since then, I’ve collaborated closely with both Isaac and the developer to rebrand the site, personalize the content, and simplify the experience across desktop and mobile.
This case study highlights the key projects I led for Values & Virtues, along with the user research that shaped them.
Project Outcomes:
Developed a brand style guide and a voice & tone guide, implementing them across marketing materials, emails, social media, and website content to ensure consistency.
Crafted benefit-driven membership descriptions that helped parents and educators quickly identify the membership plan best suited to their needs.
Led a UX audit that addressed 31 key issues, streamlined task delegation and fixes, and enabled a successful site launch in one week.
RESEARCH
Original Values & Virtues homepage
Initial Audit
Upon entering the website, my first impression was that the design seemed overly simplistic in design/layout.
There was too much white space, which felt impersonal, and there was no “about us” page to build credibility for the organization. There were no photos on the website, just text and some text was cut off and unreadable.
Some key areas of improvement I identified included:
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The welcome page was informative but too text-heavy and overwhelming.
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Cut-off text, like "donate tod" instead of "donate today" button, made the site feel unprofessional.
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No “About Us” page meant a missed chance to share the organization’s story and build connection.
Overwhelming text barrage.
Samples of desk research and user stories
I did the same for educators.
User Interviews
At first, my client wanted me to jump right into content revisions, and since it wasn’t clear how long I’d be on the project, I based my initial copy suggestions on quick desk research. Reddit was my go-to during that phase.
As the project progressed and I was asked to stay on for more in-depth content design, I scheduled user interviews with two educators and parents to make sure my ideas aligned with their real needs.
I learned that because educators and parents are super busy—and often unsure how to handle disengaged or disrespectful students—they need a character education website that offers:
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Simple, easy-to-use resources to help keep their children engaged in learning
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Encouragement for the work they’re already doing
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Structure through guided lessons
These interviews validated my early findings and helped me create user stories to guide the next phase of content revisions.
Finalized brand style guide and flyers designed with guide
Brand Style Guide
Context:
The client hired a developer to redesign the site, but did not have a style guide. As a result, the design, voice, and tone were inconsistent across email, print, and web content.
The fix:
I created a brand toolkit and voice & tone guide to align all future content—digital and print—with the refreshed visual identity and messaging strategy.
What I did:
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Built a brand toolkit to document fonts, color palette, and logo usage for myself and future designers.
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Created a voice and tone guide rooted in user research insights and the organization’s mission.
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Defined the Values & Virtues voice as:
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Kind: warm and understanding
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Empowering: supportive of educators and parents
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Clear: simple language that reduces cognitive load
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BRANDING
Revisions of "About Us" Page
Replacing the "Lorem Ipsums"
Context:
The new Values & Virtues website had multiple sections filled with placeholder “Lorem ipsum” text. I was tasked with replacing all placeholder content and ensuring each section communicated something meaningful and helpful to users.
The fix:
I audited every instance of placeholder text, determined its necessity, and rewrote or removed content based on user needs and business goals.
For example, a website section prompted users to "schedule a call. I checked with the client on the need for that prompt and discovered they had no intention of offering that option, so I removed it.
What I did:
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Audited all site pages to identify and evaluate placeholder text
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Removed or rewrote content based on user needs and business goals
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Advised the developer on UI improvements
UX WRITING
Membership Copy
Context:
Values & Virtues offers different membership levels for parents and educators, but the original menu didn’t explain what benefits came with each level. This made it hard for people to know which option was right for them.
Using a table provided by the developer, I was asked to write short descriptions that clearly explain the benefits of each level.
The fix:
I wrote clear, benefit-driven descriptions for each membership level to help parents and educators quickly grasp which plan best met their needs.
What I did:
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Aligned copy with user goals. I used personas and user stories developed during research to highlight top user needs—like saving time and making character education engaging for students.
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Replaced vague labels with benefit-focused language.
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Original: “View Story”
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New: “Enhance classroom culture and student engagement with over 150 captivating read-aloud stories.”
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Improved visual hierarchy. I used bold text and icons to emphasize the main point of each sentance, making the content easier to scan and understand at a glance.
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Explained my rationale. I added brief notes to help the client understand the thinking behind each copy suggestion.
Before and after membership copy
Using this table provided by the developer, I was tasked with writing short descriptions that clearly explain the benefits of each membership level.
I used insights from user research to write membership level descriptions that highlight the key needs of educators and parents.
The membership checkout page now includes the benefits of each level targeted to the main users: educators and parents.
Using this table provided by the developer, I was tasked with writing short descriptions that clearly explain the benefits of each membership level.
Revisions of "About Us" Page
The final About Us page, decided by Isaac, was a slightly rearranged version of the vision and student success-focused “About Us” page content.
About Us Page
Context:
Values & Virtues—formerly Principled Academy—had no “About Us” page on its new website.
The fix:
I created a new “About Us” page that:
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Highlighted the school’s history and transition to an online platform
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Communicated the program’s impact on student success
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Aligned with user needs and competitive best practices
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Reinforced the brand’s voice and values
I delivered three versions with varied tones:
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Professional & succinct – history-forward and clean
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Vision- and impact-focused – added mission + outcomes
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Friendly & conversational – more emotional, parent-facing tone
The final version selected was a rearranged version of the vision- and impact-focused copy.
What I did:
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Researched co-founder Dr. Mose Durst’s books to capture core values and educational outcomes
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Analyzed leading character education websites for structure and tone cues
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Used insights from user personas and the brand guide to write content that builds trust and resonates with both parents and educators
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Iterated on tone and structure to give the stakeholder a range of directions to choose from
Usability Audit
Context
The client asked me to review the entire website to ensure each page functioned correctly and to identify any areas for improvement before the second public release.
The fix
I created a comprehensive audit tool that categorized issues by priority level, issue owner, usability/accessibility type, location, and included screenshots. This allowed me to clearly track and communicate what needed to be addressed. I used the audit to assign specific revision tasks to both the UX designer and developer on the project and followed up to ensure quality across revisions.
What I did
I led the audit process end-to-end—identifying 31 key blockers, translating findings into actionable tasks, delegating them strategically, and reviewing the final fixes. This tool helped the team address the client’s top priorities quickly and effectively within just one week.
Usability audit spreadsheet
UX STRATEGY
OUTCOME
Developed a brand style guide and a voice & tone guide, implementing them across marketing materials, emails, social media, and website content to ensure consistency.
Crafted benefit-driven membership descriptions that helped parents and educators quickly identify the membership plan best suited to their needs.
Led a UX audit that identified 31 key issues, streamlined task delegation and fixes, and enabled a successful site launch in one week.
TAKEAWAYS
What I learned:
Communicating and collaborating across roles
I gained experience working with WordPress and learned how to communicate my ideas to the developer and product designer, ensuring our visions aligned and the site met the client’s goals.
Adapting under pressure
When the developer wasn’t available and pages needed to go live quickly—like a last-minute “Gift a Teacher” holiday campaign—I got scrappy. Working closely with the product designer, I used ChatGPT and basic coding research to help build and launch the page within days. It was a great opportunity to step in, problem-solve, and keep things moving despite tight timelines.
Balancing priorities on fast-moving projects
This project sharpened my multitasking skills. I often had to juggle multiple priorities—editing the “About Us” page, updating Amazon links across the site, and drafting the monthly newsletter—all while responding to new requests from the client.
Biggest challenges:
Learning WordPress and navigating scope
As I got up to speed with WordPress, I spent many hours researching what was possible and which plugins could help solve specific issues. Often, after exploring solutions, I’d realize the task was outside of my technical ability. In those cases, I would write up a clear description of the issue for the client to forward to the developer. Since the client preferred to involve the developer only when absolutely necessary, I had to be thoughtful about when to escalate and when to find a workaround myself.
What I'd do differently next time:
Define roles and expectations early
At the start of the project, I would clarify my role and responsibilities with both the client and the team. Having clear boundaries and expectations upfront would help streamline decision-making and reduce uncertainty when new tasks come up.
Share observations beyond my scope
In the beginning, I hesitated to bring up issues outside of content, like UI concerns. Next time, I’d proactively surface these as user experience suggestions, knowing that thoughtful input—regardless of role—can lead to a stronger end product.
Improve handoff and collaboration processes
I often worked independently to troubleshoot WordPress tasks, only to find they needed to be escalated. In the future, I’d set up a clearer system for collaborating with the developer and product designer sooner, to save time and maintain momentum.
Thank you for reading my case study!
If you'd like to learn more about this project, feel free to contact me.
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